BRAINTREE Council spent nearly £50,000 trying to stop two gypsy families from illegally building on their land – only to be overruled by the Government.

Since September, Braintree District Council has spent £44,000 in legal fees and enforcement notices in desperate attempts to stop six ethnic Romany from developing their plot of land in Pattiswick, near Braintree.

But despite pleas to the High Court, the full support of Pattiswick residents and the backing of Witham MP Priti Patel, the Planning Inspectorate overruled the council's decision, which tried to force the gypsy's to tear down the illegal modifications on their land.

Priti Patel called the decision "unfair" for valuing the human rights of one group over the rights of another – and raised the issue in Parliament this week.

The Conservative MP added that local authorities were partly to blame for failing to provide enough legal sites for travelling families. "The planning system ultimately failed the community by favouring people who refused to go through the correct planning process to occupy and develop the site.

"Not only did the decision run roughshod over local people's views, but the costs involved will deter councils from taking action when other unauthorised and gypsy and traveller sites appear."

This is a situation she believes is more likely, with September's eviction of up to 1,000 travellers living illegally on Dale Farm in Crays Hill.

Speaking to the Chronicle, Michaela Lee, an ethic Romany living on the Pattiswick site, said she was "over the moon" with the Planning Inspectorate's decision and hoped the village residents would soon realise that they were not "bad people".

"I think the decision was very fair," the mother-of-three said. "They could see that we won't cause any problems.

"We've travelled all over Essex. It's nice to finally be settled.

"If people have a problem – come and talk to us – we're not criminals."

But local residents say their grievances have nothing to do with their status as travellers and more to do with their disregard for planning laws.

"They came on a Friday of a Bank Holiday in September," one resident said, "and almost immediately they began to erect fences and lay concrete down.

"We have nothing against them personally but they don't follow the law.

"Every other resident has to apply for planning permission – why is it different for others?"