Protesters who foiled a traveller Bank Holiday 'land grab' by blocking trucks from entering the illegal encampment are now living in fear of reprisals. 

Residents of Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, came out in their hundreds over the weekend after a wildlife haven was ripped apart with heavy machinery, before caravans moved in. 

Homeowners camped out on the roadside overnight in a desperate attempt to stop a procession of trucks loaded with tarmac from entering the site and paving it over. 

Local residents, however, have now revealed they no longer feel safe in their own homes after they foiled the 'grab' – and are afraid the perpetrators will return. 

When the Daily Mail visited the site in Sawbridgeworth this week, many were scared of speaking out for fear of the consequences, despite the site having now been vacated. 

They claimed they were shouted at and branded 'racist' during their protest, which only came to an end after a High Court injunction was imposed and the occupants forced out. 

'The people doing the work were nasty. They were shouting and accusing the locals of being racist,' one woman said. 

'They have a complete disregard for everybody else and we don't know if they will come back.' 

 Another woman, who lives nearby, added: 'It was horrible. We are scared they are going to return. I think they will grab even more land.

'The behaviour is just disgusting. I used to walk around Sawbridgeworth and feel safe but now I would think twice. Nobody knows who they are.' 

While it is unclear who was behind the grab, local residents believe the travellers who bulldozed the wildlife haven have also purchased the field opposite. 

They now fear this too will be ripped apart and developed on. 

One neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'The whole town is very nervous about the travellers coming back. Nobody wants those people here.

'Apparently the same people have bought some land on the other side of the road.'

Aerial photographs show that hardstanding, a concrete surface and fencing had all already been laid before the travellers were forced off the site. 

Two caravans were also parked on the wildlife spot that was once a marshland where muntjac deer and kingfishers were said to roam.  

In videos posted on social media, birds could be heard chirping as work involving heavy machinery was carried out on the greenbelt land. 

The incident follows a trend that has seen travellers swoop in to lay pitches over Bank Holiday weekends, when council offices are closed.

This gives unscrupulous developers effectively free rein to do what they like until Tuesday morning, by which time concrete has often been laid and caravans moved in.

Planning permission is then sought retrospectively, forcing local authorities to kick them off an area already built over, in frequently lengthy and costly processes. 

However, contrary to how illegal developments have unfolded elsewhere, in Sawbridgeworth the local council worked to find an out-of-hours judge on Saturday afternoon who issued an injunction. 

Locals soon began gathering outside the development and were goaded by some of the workmen. 

On Sunday, construction continued at pace with workers erecting gates and fences in an attempt to secure the area.

But the crowd of frustrated locals rapidly grew, with around 500 gathering by the afternoon.

Dozens of police were in attendance but the road remained open – meaning deliveries and workmen continued to arrive.

With workers refusing to leave, hundreds of residents decided to camp out overnight and police eventually sealed the road shut.

With workers breaching the previous injunction, the council worked throughout the night to secure an amended High Court injunction which gave police authority to arrest anyone carrying out work.

The updated injunction, which lasts until September 15 when a court hearing is due to take place, was granted and served at around 12.30am on Monday.

Andy Gee, a local resident, who walks his dog Monty by the site, said: 'We've been really impressed by the people of Sawbridgeworth.

'Also the local councillors and the MP, to actually get an injunction over a bank holiday, it is unheard of.

'I think that it's very likely that the travellers are now going apply for retrospective planning permission and this won't be the end of it.'

One woman, who lives opposite the site, added: 'I felt sick when I watched the diggers.

'I'm very worried they are going to come back. And very worried there are going to be consequences.

'I don't think they are going to give up. Whenever they have an opportunity they start constructing. They just run roughshod over everything.

'It's just soul destroying. I have lived in Sawbridgeworth for over 50 years and this land is part of my livelihood.'

It is unclear who is behind the grab but two men – Darren Glover and Leonard Richards – have been named in the injunction paperwork pinned to fencing at the site. 

However, it is understood they no longer own the land. 

Mr Glover told the Mail: 'I sold the land 18 months ago. I'm baffled as to how my name is there. It's a mistake. The land was sold 18 months ago.'

The other man named in the injunction, Mr Richards, is thought to be a landowner who is listed as living in a cottage near Stansted Airport in Essex. 

On Monday morning at 7am travellers were still working on the site, but police officers entered by 9am and evicted around 20 people.

A sign reading 'Thank you everyone' has been placed on the neighbouring house.

Josh Dean, Labour MP for Hertford and Stortford, said he was 'appalled by the flagrant disregard for the rules and the damage that has been done to our environment'.

He joined campaigners and said in a statement posted on his Facebook page: 'The law needs to change to ensure that local authorities have the powers they need to bring this kind of activity to a swift end.

'I will raise this with the Government and in Parliament, and I will work with our community to ensure your voice is heard.'

Hertfordshire Constabulary said officers entered the site on Monday morning and 'all those who had unauthorised access, left the site peacefully'.

A spokesman for the force said: 'This was following an amended High Court injunction, which was granted and served this morning.

'The High Court injunction meant that anyone found carrying out activities prohibited by the injunction – including bringing caravans on site and occupying the land for carrying out development – could be arrested by the police. No arrests were necessary.'

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