Village Residents Accuse Travellers of £600,000 'Land Grab Scam'
The quiet village of Dinton, near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, has been plunged into turmoil after travellers purchased a small plot of land and established an unauthorised camp, subsequently demanding £600,000 from locals to vacate the site. Approximately 800 residents fear they have fallen victim to a deliberate 'land grab scam' targeting their community.
Unauthorised Occupation and Demands
Unbeknownst to villagers and the former landowner, a traveller family acquired the tennis-court sized quarter-acre plot last year. On February 28, three caravans, a mobile home, and several lorries moved onto the greenfield site located on the village outskirts within a conservation area. Workers promptly deposited rubble, plastic, and tarmac to create a hardstanding surface, despite the area's proximity to historic Dinton Hall, a Grade-II listed country manor.
During protests at the site, two men from within the camp approached locals with a startling proposition: if villagers wanted them to leave, they could repurchase the land for over £600,000. This demand appears particularly exorbitant given that similar-sized plots in the area had originally sold for approximately £15,000.
Historical Parallels and Immediate Fallout
This incident chillingly echoes events from seven years prior when the notorious Doran clan demanded an identical sum from residents in Dough Bank, Worcestershire, to abandon a similarly sized pitch in 2019. The situation escalated dramatically when a static home delivered to the Dinton site was burned to the ground on March 3, an incident currently under investigation by Thames Valley Police.
Former landowner Michael Cook, 54, who sold the plot last year, described the scenario as "a nightmare come true" and "an emergency for people in the village." He emphasized that the land remains under a covenant restricting use to agricultural purposes only. "When you think of crime, you think of it happening very quickly, but here we have 12 to 15 lorries running back and forth and someone should have been there to stop them," Cook lamented.
Council Intervention and Legal Action
Buckinghamshire Council responded decisively, issuing a temporary stop notice on March 2 after approximately 100 residents submitted breach of planning notices. This was followed by a High Court injunction secured on March 5, prohibiting any further building works or additional occupants on the site.
Despite these measures, a mobile home was moved onto the land shortly after the stop notice took effect. "The static home was delivered hours after the stop notice—the next morning it was in ashes. Who did it, I do not know," Cook revealed, highlighting enforcement challenges.
Traveller Family's Perspective
A family member identifying himself only as Doran presented a contrasting narrative, denying any malicious intent or blackmail scheme. He explained that his family had been forced to sell their previous residence and had "nowhere else to put the chalet and the caravans" except the Dinton plot. Doran suggested the burnt mobile home might have been targeted by villagers prejudiced against travellers, stating, "You can sense a real dislike towards our family. We've been through this before and we've faced discrimination before."
The family member admitted his father moved the caravan onto the site but insisted there was no intention to commit illegal acts, claiming they were unaware of land use restrictions. He declined to comment on allegations that the land was being offered to villagers for purchase.
Political and Community Response
Greg Smith, MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, condemned the situation as "an egregious breach of planning law" that deliberately circumvented multiple protective layers including conservation zone status and a church covenant from the Diocese of Oxford. "When the council has enforced a stop notice and has not received any planning application, it builds the case this is deliberate to circumvent planning laws," Smith asserted.
Peter Strachan, Buckinghamshire Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Planning, reassured residents: "We know that this has been a worrying issue for the local community which is why we took immediate action as soon as we were able to. We take these breaches very seriously and I hope this action sends a clear message."
Residents remain deeply concerned that the turmoil represents part of a broader property racket designed to intimidate locals into paying exorbitant sums. One anonymous villager recounted confronting the travellers early on the morning of occupation: "They lied to us and said they were planting potatoes, then later said they were planting carrots and they needed the caravans for rest. When I spoke to the man, they told me that if the village or I wanted to buy the land off them, it would cost £600,000."
The community now braces for a potential civil case as authorities continue monitoring the situation closely, while the traveller family has indicated plans to contest the planning dispute through legal channels.
