Injunction halts unauthorised work at wildlife spot

A High Court injunction has been secured to halt the unauthorised use of diggers ripping up a wildlife hot spot.

Hundreds of residents have arrived at the field off Sheering Mill Lane in Sawbridgeworth to voice their anger at the work, which began on Saturday.

Ahead of the court order being imposed, eyewitnesses described diggers tearing the field apart and truck-loads of material being delivered there.

East Hertfordshire District Council, which had shut its offices for the Bank Holiday weekend just hours earlier, said work was ordered to stop at about 22:30 BST.

The injunction temporarily blocked further development on the land and bringing caravans on-site, as well as banning anyone occupying the plot.

However, a BBC reporter at the scene on Sunday said work was continuing. She estimated up to 400 locals had attended to protest against it.

Council staff first became aware of the digging, which did not have planning permission, on Saturday morning.

A High Court hearing has been scheduled for 15 September, the council said. It added that it was "doing everything possible to secure an earlier court date".

"Our priority is to prevent the site from being occupied and to bring the unauthorised development to an end as quickly as possible," a spokesperson said.

"We will continue to work with our partners and use the legal and enforcement options available to us to achieve this."

Residents have said the site was often visited by muntjacs and had a rich ecosystem.

Amy Panter, 19, who lives nearby, said the field acted as a floodplain and she feared her house would flood without it.

"Every loophole has been lined up and exploited and it's quite frustrating for those of us affected," she said of the development.

Amateur wildlife photographer Nigel Blake, 71, added: "I'm heartbroken... I've always been loyal to this place because I know it off by heart."

Josh Dean, the Labour MP for Hertford and Stortford, said people were "deeply concerned" about what was happening and warned the land would be "decimated and replaced with concrete".

In a statement, Harlow Fencing said all deliveries to the site were stopped after concerns were raised about its involvement at about 09:00 on Saturday.

"We were led to believe the site was a legitimate new-build development and supplied materials in good faith," it added.

The company said "misinformation" spreading online had led to personal comments made about its staff.

Hertfordshire Police said it was "aware of a dispute over the use" of the field.

Saturday's unauthorised project was the latest in a spate of incidents whereby work begins over Bank Holiday weekends.

An illegal camp was set up on green belt land in Flamstead in April, and a field was concreted over illegally in Willows Green, near Braintree in Essex in May.

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