Travellers rip up protected greenbelt field with bulldozers in Irby as locals fear bank holiday 'land grab'

A nearly one-acre greenbelt plot in Irby, Merseyside, has been excavated by bulldozers and heavy equipment despite no planning application being submitted to Wirral Council. A 10ft wooden fence went up within 24 hours of the works beginning, and the site — which borders homes on Townshend Avenue — now holds three caravans, two diggers, two cars, and a van. Local Conservative campaigner David Fairbairn says he is 'outraged' and has alerted the council. Residents suspect the timing was deliberate, exploiting the bank holiday weekend while council offices remain shut.

The land had been marketed at £90,000–£100,000, with the sales listing explicitly noting its green-belt status and the planning restrictions that come with it.

Bank holiday 'land grabs' tend to follow a set pattern: concrete is poured and caravans are brought in before offices reopen on Tuesday, leaving councils to pursue costly retrospective enforcement action.

Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverley has called on the government to toughen powers against illegal traveller sites as the Irby case attracts national attention.