'Building new homes is the only way to clear Dale Farm mess'

Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers has said the only solution to clear the waste left following the eviction of travellers from the site, in Crays Hill, is to build homes on the land.

Stuart was the man responsible for stopping bailiffs entering Dale Farm in 2011 for five days after he put together a case which led to a temporary high court injunction.

This comes after Channel 5 aired the first episode of their series which delves deeper into violence and events surrounding the eviction nine years ago.

Mr Carruthers, from Norfolk, who has been working with the 50 or so travellers left at Dale Farm since 2011, said: “The mess is all still there.

“It’s the only solution I can think of to remove it.

“The Environment Agency has said it isn’t safe and the council has fenced it off.

“The only way forward is to build houses on it.”

But Kerry Smith, the deputy leader of Basildon Council has said homes must only be built if the council is repaid more than £4million as part of the development, which will cover the cost of the 2011 eviction.

At the time, the removal of the travellers cost £7million of taxpayers money.

Mr Smith, said: “It does need to be looked into, but the council don’t own the land.

“The taxpayer is still owed for the eviction. There needs to be closure.

“It is often forgotten that people who live in Crays Hill still haven’t had closure.

“If we cleared it, it would result in Dale Farm two. 

“If an arrangement can be put in place then we need to investigate it but the council is still owed.

“It’s a real shame Tony Ball isn’t given the credit and wasn’t awarded or recognised for his work.

“He worked so hard. It really took it out of him.

“He made a promise and he stuck to it.”

The Channel 5 series aired for the first time on Monday evening, with Dale Farm back in the spotlight once again.

The first episode investigated the decisions behind the clearing of the site, and the beginning of the violence which then followed.