Gipsies who have been camped on land in Basildon have been moved on.

Notice was served on the travellers - and less than 24 hours later they were escorted from the site by police.

A dozen or so caravans have been camped on the site opposite Yardley's in Miles Gray Road - a popular haunt for gipsies - since before the weekend.

In a relatively good spirited encounter, the police moved the camp on yesterday afternoon after a notice was served on Monday evening.

As they drove away one of them shouted: "We don't live on an official site, we're proper gipsies, travelling gipsies."

Earlier, a woman traveller who did not give her name criticised the council's attitude. She said: "It's like ethnic cleansing. We've been treated like dogs. We've been as good as gold with them.

"A council officer came down here yesterday and said that if we keep the litter down he'd see us when he sees us.

"He said we could stop if we kept the litter down."

But she said the police had been good with them, being reasonable and polite as they were moved on.

She said: "Most of the PCs have been beautiful."

Acting Sgt Keith Nicholls of Basildon police said yesterday: "It's gone reasonably well.

"We issued them with the notices yesterday at about 6pm, which gave them 18 hours to move on.

"We've given them one-and-a-half hours extra and now we're moving them."

A spokesman for Basildon Council stressed the travellers would not be told they could stay, as it is policy to move them on as soon as it becomes aware they have turned up on council land.

He said: "The notice was served and they are now off.

"It's a sign of the growing co-operation between the police and council in dealing with unofficial travellers sites.

"Once it's reported it is sorted out."

Two police cars followed the travellers to make sure they did not set up camp in another site in the area.

Picture, top: On the move - police escort the gipsies from the site opposite Yardley's in Miles Gray Road.

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