THIS is the £110,000 home owned by a traveller currently living illegally on green belt land in Blackmore.

Another gipsy fighting to stay on the land by claiming he has nowhere else to go, is even renting property in another part of the country, we can reveal.

These facts came to light during a planning appeal to determine whether the six families who moved on to the Chelmsford Road site over Easter 2009 can stay.

The travellers armed with around 1,500 tonnes of hardcore descended on the site and illegally moved in 14 caravans.

During a three-day planning appeal held at the Town Hall last week, a Government officer heard evidence for and against granting the 17 adults and 13 children permanent permission to stay.

The travellers argued they need a permanent base to give their children a decent start in life and would have nowhere to go if moved on.

They also said they have ploughed the majority of their savings into the project and would not be able to afford to purchase elsewhere.

But one of the travellers, David Vinden, was revealed to own a property in Ashfordby Road in Melton Mowbray, which he paid £110,000 for in 2007 and now rents out.

Asked by the planning inspectorate why he is not living there, he said it was purely an investment opportunity and he had no intention of living there because it had no room to accommodate a caravan.

Mr Vinden added: "I've never used it for my own purposes and I have no other properties.

"I don't have family who I can go to stay with. My children come first. Every one of our children should be allowed to go to school."

It was also revealed that Mr Vinden is the director of a flooring company called The Mat Man. He also denied claims that Jodie Mitchell, his wife, lives at an address in Cheshire.

The information came to light after Blackmore Parish Council hired a private investigator to fight its case at the appeal.

According to former police officer Paul Oughton, fellow traveller Billie Jean Ball also rents a property in Darlington, which her husband, Walter Ball said she used for an office as the new director of his roofing company.

Furthermore Mr Oughton, part-funded by Blackmore residents who donated to the appeal fighting fund, said another traveller, Jabus Smith, is registered as having lived in Bromsgrove, Worcesteshire and also at a gipsy site in Evesham since 1993.

Under oath, Mr Oughton said: "I am of the overwhelming opinion that the appellants are making use of residential properties or are listed at other gipsy sites, lawfully."

A decision on the appeal is not expected for some weeks.