A FARMER has been threatened with planning enforcement unless he clears travellers from his site.

Rather than helping with evicting the unwanted visitors, Tendring Council has warned the landowner that he would be breaching planning regulations unless the travellers are evicted.

Six caravans moved on to a field between the B1442 Centenary Way and the A133 bypass near Little Clacton last week.

The travellers told landowner Matthew Swain, of Bovills Hall Farm, Little Clacton, they would vacate the site before the weekend was out, but they are still on the site.

Mr Swain said: “There has been no support from the council – in fact, the opposite.

“The council are instructing me if I don’t move them on I will be subject to planning issues. The council are not helping.”

Mr Swain will consider legal action unless the travellers leave in the next few days.

He also warned householders not to take people up on offers of cheap garden clearance work.

Already, travellers have covered a quarter of an acre of his land with rubbish, including hedge clippings.

Mr Swain said: “If you have cheap garden clearance, it is only cheap for you. It is an expense for landowners and the council.”