At Dale Farm it took ten years. Yesterday this farmer and his digger saw off invading travellers in just three hours!

When he found travellers’ caravans had arrived on his land, Dave Dawson had two options.

He could either alert the authorities and wait for the slow turning of the wheels of justice and officialdom.

Or he could rely on the somewhat quicker wheels of his digger – and remove the caravans by force.

Taking the second course of action, Mr Dawson put in a call to the police to inform them of his intentions, which risked leading to his arrest.

Officers arrived to oversee what appeared to be a few heated exchanges before – remarkably – the travellers left of their own accord.

His swift action stands in stark contrast to the decade-long battle to shift travellers from the notorious Dale Farm site in Essex, which only came to an end in October last year.         Read More