TRAVELLERS ignored a demand made by a High Court judge to stop developing a huge illegal site- less than ten hours after he gave the order.

Judge Graham Wood told the landowner of the five-acre Hovefields site in Wickford on Friday that no more breaches of an injunction made in October should take place.

Yet by 6.40am on Saturday, the first of 28 lorries- delivering an estimated 460 tonnes of hardcore- rolled down to the Tidds Plot, on Hovefields Avenue, off the A127.

Despairing residents fear the completed site could feature up to 50 plots and dwarf Dale Farm, in Crays Hill, where Basildon Council spent about £10million evicting residents.

The council headed to the High Court on Friday to apply to force the travellers to comply with the injunction granted in October. Development has been taking place at the site since February.

The case was adjourned until next month but the judge reminded the defendants of the existing injunction, warning of the risk of contempt proceedings and not to place any further caravans, fences or hard standing on the land.

Jill Walsh, 59, of the Hovefields Residents’ Association, said as well as the hardcore, additional caravans and mobile homes continued to arrive yesterday.

She said: “They are just sticking two fingers up at the law. I just can’t believe they sat in a court room in front of a High Court judge who said you are not to do any further development.

“Come Saturday morning we had 640 tons of hardcore carried down. Does the law not apply to travellers? Patently, they don’t think it does.”

A Basildon Council spokesman said officers are aware of “further reports of breaches”.

He said: “The latest breaches come in spite of a strong warning in open court on Friday from His Honour Judge Graham Wood that further developments should cease.

“Two plots of land in the area – land west of Hovefields Avenue and Silva Lodge Kennels – remain subject to ongoing High Court injunctions banning any further development.

“Basildon Council is pursuing enforcement action in respect of both injunctions.”