Homeowners in a Surrey hamlet fear their million-pound properties have become worthless after travellers paved over greenbelt land and moved in dozens of caravans without permission.

Residents of picturesque Shipley Bridge claim they are under siege from a traveller ‘invasion’ and are now ‘outnumbered’ after at least ten pitches with around 70 caravans were set up along one 750-metre stretch of country lane.  

They say the council has failed to get a grip on the situation – with travellers now able to build what they want first and ask for permission later. 

And while homeowners have been left appalled by the destruction of greenbelt land and blatant flouting of planning laws – with swathes of protected trees hacked down and concrete laid to allow for the caravans to move in – they claim the problems in the once-idyllic hamlet run much deeper.

They say they are now scared to leave their homes and have become the victims of anti-social behaviour with rocks thrown at their cars and abuse shouted at them. 

When the Daily Mail visited the traveller sites, which are all located behind behind large imposing electric gates, there was a tense and intimidating atmosphere. 

Locals were afraid to walk down the lane alone and signs reading ‘enter at your own risk’ were displayed outside the camps, alongside large CCTV cameras.

An aerial view of the traveller sites in Shipley Bridge, Surrey, where locals claim their rural idyll is under siege

When the Daily Mail visited the traveller sites, which are all located behind behind large imposing electric gates, there was a tense and intimidating atmosphere

Locals have also been left horrified at the scale of the destruction – with swathes of trees hacked down to make way for the caravans. Pictured: One of the sites 

A general view of Green Lane in Shipley Bridge where a number of traveller sites are located 

Phil Cater, who bought a home in the hamlet near Gatwick Airport for nearly £1million in 2022, fears his property has now become worthless.   

He said: ‘We bought this place because it was beautiful and it was surrounded by trees – protected trees. It was gorgeous.

‘We moved in in February 2022 and within six weeks the travellers turned up next door with heavy machinery and pulled down all the trees, mowed down all the shrubs and killed all the wildlife.

‘Then the trucks came along and put in place hardcore around one metre deep. It was like a military operation.

‘I paid nearly £1million for my house and the value has dropped by at least one quarter of a million pounds and that’s if I can even sell it.’

Mr Cater also claimed he was attacked when he challenged the travellers over whether they had planning permission to build the site next to his house. 

An aerial view of one of the traveller sites which has been built in Shipley Bridge, Surrey 

Pictured: Workers are seen clearing the area to create a new traveller pitch 

Several of the sites have heavy security and signs outside saying ‘enter this site at your own risk’ 

‘I went out to protest what they were doing and to take photographs. One of them took my phone and made me delete them,’ he said.

‘Another threw a running chainsaw at me. The kids have thrown stones at the house, they also throw stones at cars as they pass down the lane.’ 

Typically, the work to build a new pitch in Shipley Bridge begins at the start of a bank holiday weekend when the local council’s offices are closed. 

This effectively gives the new arrivals free reign to do what they want unchallenged until Tuesday, at which point the ‘land grabs’ are difficult to reverse. 

The row comes amid a slew of high-profile cases where travellers have purchased land, often in leafy parts of the Home Counties, before swooping in to lay tarmac and create pitches.

They have then sought planning permission retrospectively, forcing local authorities to kick them off an area already built over, in frequently lengthy and costly processes.

And in many cases, the travellers have been granted the right to establish permanent encampments after launching appeals against the enforcement notices.

New planning policy announced by Angela Rayner in December 2024 forces councils to release green belt land to travellers if there is an ‘unmet need’ for pitches.

Pictured: One of the gates to the traveller sites in Shipley Bridge 

Locals told the Daily Mail they people other than travellers have been living at the sites 

A view of Phil Cater’s garden which he says is regularly flooded due to the hardcore laid under the traveller sites 

Local have reported several fires at traveller sites in Shipley Bridge 

Read More

EXCLUSIVE

Travellers buy field for 100k then tarmac it and move in caravans illegally – but WON’T be evicted

However, residents in Shipley Bridge say the planning process is grossly unfair, adding that they now feel outnumbered in the area.

Council documents indicate that Shipley Bridge originally had five approved sites with around 40 caravans. 

However despite planning permission not being granted, this figure has risen sharply since 2022, with the number of caravans on the approved pitches also now exceeding what is allowed. 

One local who did not want to be named said: ‘Our home was our biggest investment and should have been our safe place. 

‘Now we are fearful when we drive down our lane.

‘We are trapped in our home which no one will buy. It has no value, yet we still have to pay our mortgage due to this illegal behaviour and live in fear every day.’

A homeowner’s view of one of the traveller sites off Green Lane in Shipley Bridge 

Pictured: The Shipley Bridge pub in the Surrey hamlet 

Documents on Tandridge Council website show that several enforcement notices have been issued against sites in Shipley Bridge

Locals have said they have seen adverts on Facebook advertising the mobile homes for rent

Locals have said they have seen adverts on Facebook advertising the mobile homes for rent. 

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘People are now renting out these static homes for up to £800 to £1,200 a month. 

‘We are seeing a lot of non-traveller people living at these sites despite there being an unmet need for pitches. 

‘It feels like Shipley Bridge has been hijacked.

‘There are now around 70 caravans down our lane and with all the illegal sites popping up it has just left a really dire situation for residents. 

‘Our properties have lost value, the investments that we have made have lost value, our gardens are being flooded.’

She said that locals now feel like ‘prisoners in their own home’, with some now desperate for the council to buy them out. 

‘There’s nowhere for us to go, there’s nowhere for us to escape,’ she added. 

‘I would really appreciate the council just buying us all out and then turning it into a big traveller site because we are a minority here.’

Pictured: A view inside one of the traveller sites in Shipley Bridge 

A truck carrying debris away from one of the sites is pictured in Shipley Bridge 

Shipley Bridge is a picturesque hamlet located close to Gatwick Airport 

Documents on Tandridge Council website show that several enforcement notices have been issued against traveller sites in Shipley Bridge. 

A spokesperson for the local authority said: ‘We are aware of residents’ concerns about unauthorised development at Shipley Bridge and have taken significant enforcement action. 

‘This includes serving a Temporary Stop Notice, an Enforcement Notice and a Stop Notice and securing a High Court injunction to prevent further breaches of planning control. 

‘A total of 13 notices have been served and three high court injunctions have been obtained in the last 19 months in relation to unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller incursions in the Shipley Bridge area.

‘The Council’s current priority is to prevent new, highly harmful unauthorised development, which has involved obtaining injunctions across several areas of the district, including Shipley Bridge. 

‘Enforcement cases are often complex, require multi‑agency involvement and can take time to resolve, which may not always match residents’ expectations.’

A spokesperson for Surrey Police added: ‘In the past year, we understand there have been some concerns around anti-social behaviour and harassment relating to incidents on Green Lane, Shipley Bridge. 

‘In 2025, we received four reports of anti-social behaviour and six reports of harassment or public order incidents. 

‘For each case reported to us, we have carried out a thorough investigation and all reasonable lines of enquiry have been explored.’