Tiny village sees FIVE traveller sites set up in just nine months as furious locals claim it has seen their house prices tumble

By RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT and ISOBEL WILLIAMS Published: 00:42, 7 August 2026 | Updated: 00:42, 7 August 2026 Villagers say five unauthorised traveller sites have appeared in their picturesque Kent hamlet in just nine months.  The situation in Sandway, which is made up of just 17 houses, is emblematic of that facing rural communities across Britain. Residents say their bucolic existence has been ruined by the rash of unauthorised development, which they claim has hit local property prices.  Aerial photos show four traveller sites with half a dozen caravans along a short stretch of road running through the hamlet, with the fifth further off.   Several villagers did not want to give their names or be photographed when the Daily Mail visited for fear of reprisals. They are now calling on Maidstone Borough Council to take urgent action to halt the unauthorised developments.  One anonymous resident said: 'Obviously we are not happy. It has lowered the value of our houses. It has changed the area. I won't go down certain roads anymore. 'Residents don't want to talk because we live here and we don't want backlash. If I put my name to it they are only down the road so they could come and look into my barn. 'They need to clamp down on the lorries bringing the mobile homes here. Once they are down there is nothing we can do.' Four of the five unauthorised traveller sites that have appeared in the Kent hamlet of Sandway  Aerial photos show four traveller sites with half a dozen caravans along a short stretch of road running through the hamlet, with another further off Your browser does not support iframes. There are six unauthorised sites in the immediate Sandway area with another three – which are authorised – in nearby Lenham Heath. Locals say one site, in the Warren Lands, has been in use by travellers for several years. This is currently subject to a contempt of court order. But a further five sites have all popped up within the last nine months, it is claimed. The latest site, near the Wishful Thinker pub, first started work in May to remove topsoil, and residents say they immediately reported this to the council. However, when a council officer visited they concluded that the land had been requested for horse grazing, and there had been no breach of planning permission. Residents claim on the next bank holiday weekend a team made their move and removed several hedges, installed fresh water pipes, and placed a large mobile home. The landowner has now submitted a retrospective planning application, but residents say they feel it is a double standard – as they have to jump through hoops to get permission themselves. Sarah, 35, who moved in just over a year ago said: 'It is just a bit annoying really. They just keep appearing. 'It doesn't look very nice. Every time I walk down the road I see another one. It doesn't seem that there is much that can be done. 'It is frustrating that I have to go through planning permission to paint my door and they can put a stonking great mobile home there and it is all fine.' Residents in the hamlet (pictured) say their bucolic existence has been ruined by the invasion, which they claim has hit local property prices Two traveller sites that have appeared near The Wishful Thinker pub (top left)  Residents are calling on Maidstone Borough Council to take urgent action to halt the unauthorised developments A 43-year-old man, who wished to remain anonymous due to a fear of being 'targeted' says his part of the road is a conservation area, making permissions even harder to get. The resident of 12 years said: 'It is one rule for them and another rule for us, which is ridiculous. 'Clearly the council doesn't want to do anything. I think everyone here has written to them. 'It just took me ages to get permission to cut down a tree in my garden, and I had to go through all of it. 'We have to jump through all these hoops and they don't enforce it for anyone else. They punish people for following the rules.' The man said he also thinks the sites will keep appearing if the council don't take action, and that they are bringing down the area. He added: 'It has a detrimental effect on everybody's house prices. Nobody wants to live here knowing that there could be more travellers moving in. 'They throw foul water out into the streets and they burn big fires. From an environmental point of view, it is very bad. It looks like a scrapyard.' Lenham Parish Council chairman Cllr John Britt confirmed six sites were in place in and around Sandway. He said: 'I am not minimising the impact of so many sites around such a small and rural settlement. 'However, the issue is not necessarily the proliferation of sites such as these, but the lack of a policy which indicates where they might be placed. 'This lack of direction is unfair on both the Travelling and settled communities. One of the houses in the quiet hamlet, which is home to just 17 homes in total  A road sign marking Sandway, which is in the Maidstone district of Kent  'It is the responsibility of the Local Planning Authority, in this case Maidstone Borough Council, to undertake an assessment of all development across the borough and create a local plan which includes issues such as major developments, infrastructure and, as part of that, a policy that determines, through the agreed processes, where people from the Gypsy, Travelling and Show people's (GT&S) communities might settle. 'This aspect of the local plan policy has been missing since the last formal assessment of such need for the GT&S communities was implemented in 2011.' Some locals had a more sympathetic view of the travellers. One pensioner who neighbours one of the sites said: 'I suppose people are worried about their house prices being affected but they haven't caused any problems. 'We get more noise from the pub and people causing trouble at closing times or revving their cars than we do from travellers. 'I wonder how many of them are travellers and how many are people who are just trying to find somewhere to live. 'If you are in your 20s then not many people can find £30,000 for a deposit.' Another resident of 44 years added: 'They need to live somewhere. There aren't any sites for them to go to, and they aren't allowed to keep moving. 'It doesn't bother me. I haven't seen any problems.' A Maidstone council spokesman said: 'We understand the concerns raised and are investigating both the planning issues and the complaint. 'Officers are currently reviewing all available evidence before determining the most appropriate course of action and it would not be appropriate to comment further while those investigations are ongoing.'