Traveller gangs prepare for Bank Holiday land grabs: Councils and villages on 'red alert' - as construction firm boss arranges for lorry loads of aggregate to be delivered to sites across Surrey and Sussex

By RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT and JON AUSTIN Published: 08:47, 23 May 2026 | Updated: 08:47, 23 May 2026 At least two councils are on red alert amid fears of a fresh series of traveller 'land grabs' over the bank holiday weekend after plans emerged to move thousands of tonnes of hardcore into their areas.  Unauthorised traveller sites regularly spring up across the country over bank holidays as unscrupulous developers take advantage of council enforcement teams being off work. Among the latest was a 12-pitch caravan site built over the May Day bank holiday weekend at Willows Green, a picturesque hamlet in Essex. On the morning of Friday May 1, the Daily Mail revealed that a field in the hamlet was at risk of unauthorised development after uncovering a post in a Facebook group asking for thousands of tonnes of hardcore - a type of crushed stone used to construct a solid base for developments.  Within hours of the local district council closing later that evening, an army of workers, vehicles and machinery pulled onto the land and began converting it into a traveller site.  Now we can reveal that a construction firm boss is using the same Facebook group to arrange for lorry loads of aggregate to be delivered to development locations in Horley, Surrey, and Horsham, East Sussex.  Karl Kavanagh, 48, who runs Hampshire based KK Construction, posted to the group on Wednesday that he wanted about 100 loads of crushed aggregate for a location in the Horley area of Surrey over Saturday and Sunday. He followed up with a further post on Thursday saying tipper lorries were needed in the Horsham area from Saturday to Monday for the price of £200 a load.  A tractor operating today near a traveller site in the Kent commuter village of West Malling. Residents fear the work is in preparation for an unauthorised expansion of the site  An aerial view of the development, which won retrospective planning permission in 2025 despite being built illegally  The posts raised eyebrows among some members of the group. One wrote 'we see what you're doing' in a comment that was liked by Mr Kavanagh.  An industry insider said: 'I don't know what these are for, but the timing over a bank holiday is unusual. No one would usually work after close of business on Friday.' When the Mail called him, Mr Kavanagh claimed not to know what the loads were for or the precise sites they were intended for, other than the fact they were in Horley and Horsham. He said: 'I'm a subcontractor. I don't know what it's for. I'm just trying to organise it for a main contractor we do a lot of building work for. I was just asked to put up the posts as a registered building company.' He said he could not rule out the loads being destined for traveller sites as some firms would be willing to provide the materials 'when money was involved'. He refused to provide contact details for the main contractor. The Mail alerted Horsham Council and Reigate and Banstead Council to the posts, with the latter launching an immediate investigation. Reigate and Banstead Council is aware of a 40-acre site that changed hands in February for £403,000, but the names of the new owners are not yet registered with the Land Registry. A spokesman said: 'Thank you for alerting us and sharing your intelligence on the potential activity over the weekend, which has been passed to our planning enforcement team. 'We have various fields covered by existing court injunctions across the Horley and Salfords area. We have made enquiries as to where the land in question might be but other than the Facebook post requesting lorry hire and aggregate for the Horley area, we haven't yet been able to confirm a particular site. 'However, we will continue to monitor the situation and planning enforcement officers are on standby to respond to any incidents reported. In addition, our Joint Enforcement Team is on call over the weekend, as usual, to deal with a range of issues, including unlawful encampments.' Karl Kavanagh, 48, who runs Hampshire based KK Construction, has been asking for drivers to supply 100 loads of crushed aggregate to sites in Horley, Surrey, and Horsham, East Sussex When the Mail called him, Mr Kavanagh claimed not to know what the loads were for or the precise sites they were intended for, other than the fact they were in Horley and Horsham Mr Kavanagh liked a Facebook comment saying 'we see what you're doing'  Horsham Council said it does not currently have any injunctions in place banning development. Over in the Kent commuter belt village of West Malling, villagers complained today of a new burst of development at a local traveller site, which was built without permission in 2021 before being granted retrospective planning consent in 2025.  Locals described seeing travellers clearing land in what they claimed could be preparation work for further development over the bank holiday.  One told the Mail: 'We think they're gearing up for a land grab. We will do everything we can to stop them.  'We're keeping a close eye on what they're doing. We're on alert. Their work is substantial so far.'  One traveller at the site denied that there were plans to build over new land and insisted they had been granted planning permission for landscaping. Elsewhere, some travellers are blatantly advertising illegal caravan pitches for sale on social media despite having no planning permission and, in one case, being banned from carrying out any development work by a High Court injunction. One Irish traveller is offering a 'yard for sale' on a site with room for 20 families that was constructed without planning permission in Reading, Berkshire, last year. This was despite it being under a High Court injunction, which prevents any occupation or further development, meaning there are potential prison terms for any breaches. The site is on land south of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston. A High Court temporary injunction, restricting further development and additional residential occupation, was secured in December with a full hearing listed next month. Facebook user John New has been advertising a yard for sale in Reading - despite the land being subject to an injunction banning further development  The Facebook user shared a photo of the site and appealed for offers  Despite a High Court injunction banning development, he insisted that 'water and electric [is] being done soon' and 'all paid for' Despite this, in a caption alongside images and video of the unauthorised pitch, the man, who has the Facebook name 'John New', wrote: 'Yard For Sale Reading, 100ft by 60ft wide. 'All fenced off and front fence panels is there to be put up and fully hardcored.' Despite the injunction, he insisted that 'water and electric [is] being done soon' and 'all paid for.' The blurb described it as a 'very good location' for families that was 'within a mile' of a small town with 'shops, garages and schools'. Regarding concerns over the injunction, he was optimistic, adding: 'Court been put back until June looking very good. Courts already paid for. Planning being submitted. Call for anymore details.' Several people posted in the comments that they were interested and asked for details on the price. The Mail called him on the number on the advert to ask about the pitch. The man, who originates from Tuam, Galway, a town with one of the biggest traveller populations in Ireland, said: 'I don't know anything about it. I don't know the price. I just put the advert up for a friend who doesn't have Facebook, so I will pass him your number.' The advert was removed from his Facebook page almost immediately after our phone call on Thursday. Historically, traveller families who have developed sites without planning consent, often over bank holidays, have gone on to argue they had been forced to act due to a lack of space on legal sites.  They often claim to have invested their life savings and acted out of 'desperation' due to having nowhere else to live. But the sale of pitches across social media suggests some sites are straightforward moneymaking scenes.  Your browser does not support iframes. A West Berkshire Council councillor, who asked not be named due to 'sensitivities' around the issue, said: 'This would appear to take it from the usual scenario of ''families with nowhere to go'' building without consent due to ''desperation for a place to live'' to something more commercial, speculative and opportunistic.' A council spokesman said of the advert: 'The Council is aware of the unauthorised traveller site at Reading Road, Aldermaston, where an interim injunction is in place in relation to unauthorised development and change of use. 'We continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate action where necessary in line with our planning enforcement powers. 'We do not comment on operational enforcement arrangements or ongoing investigations.' Earlier this month we revealed that Irish traveller Martin Mongan had advertised a plot for sale at the Willows Green site before it was illegally built over the May Day bank holiday. Residents in Willows Green are monitoring another field 300 yard away which was bought by Edward Myles Anthony Connors, an Irish traveller from a family with a history of unauthorised development, for £150,000 cash last year. Uttlesford Council was able to secure an emergency temporary injunction last week after residents reported suspicious 'survey work' being carried out by men who posed as broadband contractors last week. However, villagers fear it could still be broken.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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