Million-pound homeowners say they 'don't feel safe going outside' after masked travellers bulldozed a Hampshire field over the bank holiday

Diggers and vans rolled onto Hares Farm in South Warnborough at about 5.30pm on Friday 28 August, just as council staff were leaving for the three-day break. Much of the eight-acre former crop field has since been laid with tarmac and gravel. Caravans and mobile homes now sit on the site and are reportedly being rented out. The land was reportedly bought for more than £100,000.

One resident said men in hoodies and balaclavas did the work: 'It was particularly intimidating.'

Locals report receiving threats and say the site has left them afraid, with concerns it will damage the saleability of their homes.

The dispute follows Angela Rayner's December 2024 reforms, which pressed councils into making greenbelt land available to travellers.