Travellers have invaded a quaint village in a 'military scale' operation which took just 48 hours while council offices were closed.

The group waited until 4.45pm on a Friday – just as the council offices were closing – to begin work on their new home in the North Yorkshire village of Hillam. 

A convoy of lorries and septic tanks rolled into their village and they worked overnight to complete the job.

The land, which was allegedly sold as a paddock for horses, saw the grass stripped and covered with around 50 lorry-loads of hardcore while tall fences were built to enclose the compound using £33,000 worth of timber.

Septic tanks were brought in and installed to handle the waste from the dozens of caravans which immediately moved onto the site. 

In the middle of the countryside and among the grade II-listed houses is a large grey slab and wildlife, including deer, has been driven away by the groundwork.

Calls to the council who were unavailable over the weekend went unheard as locals desperately tried to stop the construction.  

Tim Grogan, councillor for North Yorkshire County Council, said: 'It was planned and executed incredibly fast, it was an operation conducted on a military scale.

'I went down to the site and there were people working frantically to get this place set up, they never looked up and I believe they continued working overnight.

'They knew that if they started work on the Friday afternoon they would be able to continue for the entire weekend with no council action to stop them.

'The people of Hillam are devastated, it has changed life in the village completely - I've already been told of two families who were selling their homes and the deals have fallen through since this site suddenly arrived.'

He continued: 'There were 30 to 40 people working like hell in diggers and road rollers, sinking holes and putting up fences.

'The field was sold as a paddock for horses but as soon as I heard that I suspected what was going to happen but the speed with which it was done was astonishing.

'There are 160 empty council houses awaiting renovation in my area - if the council could work at the speed these travellers did it would solve a lot of problems.

'Some people in Hillam dare not go outside and others won't walk their dogs in that area any more as they always have. The single track road is completely inappropriate for all the vehicles that have already arrived.'

The camp was built two weekends ago but it took a week for North Yorkshire County Council to serve a 'stop notice' to prevent any further building work. 

A High Court injunction aimed at halting work was later served to occupants of the site but it has gone ignored and lorries continue to make their way in, according to a local councillor. 

Former police detective Mr Grogan, a local councillor for Reform, said: 'The officers turned up on Saturday and were told where to go, apparently. They've then completely ignored the notice and the lorries are still coming.

'The local residents are furious. They're holding a meeting to discuss what they can do.'

He added: 'Everybody is furious about what has happened, and 90 per cent of people feel like they have been let down by North Yorkshire Council. Villagers feel betrayed and they feel helpless.' 

Dean McKeown, 66, a former top class horse racing jockey, lives close to the site and has been able to see at first hand that the council's edict has been ignored.

He said: 'The council eventually served them with a notice but I can see from my property that it's been ignored, the work is still going on.

'It's a disaster for the village. I had my own property on the market but the likelihood now is that the sale will fall through and I'm not the only one in that position.

'It was an operation mounted with military precision. They knew the council offices would be closing exactly as they started work and they knew that there wasn't a chance anyone from the council would come out to investigate on a weekend.

'By the time anyone from the local authority would arrive they'd have the camp built by 40 to 50 men working around the clock - and that's exactly what happened.

'When I look out now at what has suddenly been built in the middle of the Yorkshire countryside I'm still a little in shock, it looks awful and it won't be getting taken down any time soon, this is going to take a long time to sort out.

'I went down to the site and they said they would apply for planning permission retrospectively and they were confident their legal representation was better than the council's. That's how far ahead this thing was thought out.'

North Yorkshire County Council's corporate director for community development, Nic Harne, said: 'On Saturday, we secured an interim injunction from the High Court preventing any further unauthorised development at the site near Hillam.

'The order, which had been prepared earlier in the week, was served immediately by our planning enforcement officers, supported by North Yorkshire Police.

'The injunction prohibits any further caravans being brought onto the land, the construction of additional structures, the installation of services or drainage, and the importation of materials or laying of hardstanding.

'We recognise the concern caused within the local community and have kept elected members and the parish council informed throughout and we will continue to provide updates as the case progresses.

'In addition, we will continue to monitor the site closely to ensure compliance with both the injunction and the Temporary Stop Notice which was issued on September 14.

'The court has listed a further hearing in a month's time to determine whether the interim injunction should continue in place.

'We will continue to take all appropriate action available to us to protect the interests of residents, ensure compliance with planning law and pursue matters through the courts where necessary.'