Home / Crime and Justice / Travellers Ram Police Car, Damage Land in Hertfordshire
Travellers Ram Police Car, Damage Land in Hertfordshire
9 Apr
Summary
- Travellers allegedly used sheer force, damaging parked cars and a police vehicle.
- The group arrived overnight, concreted land, and illegally felled trees.
- Villagers reported aggressive behaviour and damage to local roads.
Hertfordshire police are investigating allegations of threatening behaviour, criminal damage, and illegal tree felling at a travellers' site that emerged overnight in Flamstead. The group arrived on Thursday and began establishing a significant presence, with caravans appearing on Easter Sunday. Residents reported that the travellers used diggers and machinery to concreted large areas of green belt land, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Eyewitnesses claim the travellers used 'sheer force' to access the site, damaging parked cars and even ramming a police car off the road. Local roads have reportedly been damaged by heavy vehicles, some with missing number plates. Trees were allegedly felled illegally to facilitate access, blocking a local lane before being removed. Despite a temporary stop notice issued by Dacorum Borough Council on Saturday, the group has submitted a planning application for 14 plots, each accommodating multiple caravans and a mobile home.
Dacorum Borough Council has since obtained an emergency injunction from the court, prohibiting further unauthorised works. Police are appealing for information and footage related to the alleged incidents. Local MP Victoria Collins stated that the council and police are pursuing appropriate legal action to address the unauthorised development and the distress it has caused to the community.
