Vandals could land Wiltshire man in court (From Gazette Series)

Vandals could land Wiltshire man in court

10:16am Thursday 18th May 2006 in Search By Tina Robins

A MINETY man was stunned after gypsies vandalised his property and council officers said he faced legal action as a consequence.

Andy Hyland woke up to find one of his trees had been almost cut down in the night and a huge TV aerial had taken its place.

The electrician, whose home is right next door to the illegal gypsy site at Minety was amazed when he was told he could be taken to court because the vandalism was technically an illegal development on his land - even though he didn't do it.

Andy, 27, was almost asleep on May 2 when he heard a two-stroke engine fire up.

Too frightened to go out and confront them he waited until the morning when he discovered the devastation.

He said: "I found one of our trees on our middle field had been butchered. The whole trunk had been taken off from about 12 feet. Around 12 to 15 feet had gone from the top."

"In its place was a tall metal pole with a TV aerial on the top. A metal ladder had come over our hedge line and into our tree."

Trailing from the aerial was a cable running to one of the caravans.

The vandals had also condemned the tree to a slow death by cutting the trunk straight across, so it rots from the inside.

Immediately he reported the damage to Wiltshire police.

Then he called North Wiltshire District Council only to be told by an officer that if enforcement action was taken it would be against him rather than the people who had done the damage.

"He said it is because it is a development on a tree which is owned by us on our land - even though it was not us that did it."

Andy, son of Minety Action Group chairman Verina Hyland, is now seeking an injunction to get the mast removed.

The family has already paid out £5,000 to install CCTV and extra lighting on the 25-acre smallholding after a series of incidents in their stableyard.

"This is behaviour which is completely unacceptable. If we don't abide by the planning laws we get enforcement action taken against us," he stormed. "It is one rule for us and another for them.

"I would like the council to take action against us because that would show just how unfair the whole situation is."

But a North Wiltshire District Council spokesman stressed it was unlikely. He said: "For us enforcement action is the last resort."

It only happened if negotiation and other routes failed to resolve the situation.

Wiltshire police have said any complaint of criminal damage will be investigated.

The camp was set up without planning permission over the space of a few days in 2003 and hit the national headlines when a High Court judge ruled the gypsies could stay because making them leave would cause them suffering.

Last year Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott gave them temporary permission which runs out in February 2007.

In the meantime the district council is carrying out a housing survey which includes the needs of the gypsies. A report is due in September when options, which could include finding a new site, will be considered.

It has also joined forces with other authorities in the UK to pressurise the Government for a national policy.