Homeowners in a picturesque village say they have been driven to ‘despair’ after an illegal traveller site was set up on a field already at the centre of a row over waste dumping.

For more than a year, residents of Peopleton, Worcestershire, have been plagued by an illegal waste operation, that has seen hundreds of tonnes of stinking rubbish dumped at a site on the outskirts of the village.

The operation is run by convicted criminal John Bruce, who was jailed in 2002, and again in 2018, for his disgraceful record of tipping at unlicensed sites around the county. 

But locals say the village has now descended into a fresh state of ‘lawlessness’ after an unauthorised traveller encampment was set up over a weekend in July, while the local council offices were closed. 

Lorries and diggers owned by Mr Bruce have reportedly been seen carrying out work at the site, which is located on a plot of land off the A44. 

Locals have claimed he previously used the same site to dump around 200 tons of waste, which came from the illegal rubbish processing plant he operates just across the road at Stone Arrow Farm.

Residents say very little action has been taken to shut down the traveller pitch, and it appears to be a case of people who flout the rules being able to ‘get away with whatever they like’. 

Aerial photographs show the farmland has been tarmacked over and several caravans moved in, despite a stop notice being issued and enforcement action taken. 

An aerial view of the illegal traveller site that has been set up in Peopleton, Worcestershire 

Image from earlier this year shows an aerial view of a waste tip in Peopleton 

Lorries and diggers owned by Mr Bruce have been seen carrying out work at the site, which is located on a plot of land that he previously used to dump around 200 tons of rubbish on

At the end of last month, electric gates and CCTV cameras were also installed. Locals have also reported seeing sun loungers and deckchairs outside the caravans. 

One man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘After the waste dumping and now the traveller site, lawlessness is probably the best way to describe the village right now. 

‘These people, seem to be able to get away with whatever they like. 

‘It does appear that if you follow the rules, then you can’t actually get anywhere. But if you’re prepared to flout the rules, then you’re allowed to carry on regardless. 

‘Certainly, from a village point of view, we are just at a point of absolute despair. The whole thing is comical. 

‘The travellers have been allowed to carry on blissfully and it appears that the council and police are absolutely powerless to do anything.’ 

It is understood the diggers arrived at around 6.30pm on Friday, July 24, and that work began at around 7am the following morning. 

Locals said they were unable to get hold of the council until the Saturday, at which point they were told that nothing could be done until Monday.

The man continued: ‘Well by Monday, there was a whole encampment. Retrospective planning then went in to keep the caravans there.

John Bruce pictured running along a beach in a rare social media photo 

Image shows waste from the processing plant. It is similar to what was dumped on the site which is now a traveller pitch 

An aerial view of Peopleton, a quintessentially English village with a medieval church, family run pub and a shop staffed by volunteers

Residents say very little action has been taken to shut down the traveller pitch, and it appears to be a case of people who flout the rules being able to ‘get away with whatever they like’

‘They were given an enforcement notice, but carried on building against that enforcement notice. 

‘There’s now about six caravans down there, an Astroturf garden, parasols. They have fully moved in.’

Another local said: ‘We are just expecting more travellers to turn up now. There’s half of the land that has actually been developed on but part of the site is still lying empty. 

‘There’s nothing stopping them from opening that up to travellers at some stage.  

‘Agencies are not willing to stick their head above the parapet and do something, they just won’t.’  

A temporary stop notice has been issued by Wychavon District Council which prevents any further development of the site. 

The occupants have also submitted a retrospective planning application. 

The incident follows a trend that has seen travellers swoop in to lay pitches over weekends, when council offices are closed.

This gives unscrupulous developers effectively free rein to do what they like until Monday morning, by which time concrete has often been laid and caravans moved in.

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

Locals told the Daily Mail that in addition to the traveller site being set up, the illegal waste operation in the area has been allowed to continue. 

In January, we first reported that Stone Arrow Farm, which is located just across the road from the traveller pitch, was being used to deposit rubble, wood and various forms of household rubbish.

An aerial view of the illegal waste processing operation at Stone Arrow Farm, which neighbours say is blighting their lives with noise, traffic and pollution

A digger, which appears to be the same one carrying out at the traveller site, is listed for sale on Mr Bruce’s website, UK Plant

Stone Arrow Farm pictured earlier this year, with the waste operation taking place on the left and the lorry park on the right 

A stop notice was served by the Environment Agency last January. 

An additional Planning Enforcement Notice was issued by the local council and some of the waste was subsequently carted off. Yet the wagons full of rubbish continued to arrive. 

A number of other illegal waste tipping sites have also been identified in the area. 

These include Mill Lane, near Wadborough, between Worcester and Evesham, where a long brown pile of rubbish was left rotting in a field. 

Closer to Evesham itself, meanwhile, a mass of processed rubble – mainly building material – was spread into a long strip along the edge of a field at Haselor Lane. 

Dumping illegal waste is so profitable – generating as much as £2,500 per truck – it has been embraced by organised criminal gangs. 

According to the police, the unlicensed rubbish business is ‘the new narcotics’. 

The Environment Agency said it was continuing to investigate ‘illegal waste crime activity at sites in Worcestershire’ and may take ‘future enforcement action’ 

Ian Macleod, Wychavon’s Director of Planning and Infrastructure, said: ‘A Temporary Stop Notice has been issued, preventing any further development or occupation of the site including further laying of hardstanding, the siting of extra caravans and more fencing. 

‘The installation of a gate and CCTV are not covered by the Notice. However, we continue to monitor the site and investigate any possible breaches of planning rules.

‘A retrospective planning application has also been submitted and will be considered through the normal planning process. 

‘The outcome of that application will determine the next steps. We are also liaising with the relevant partner organisations where issues fall within their regulatory responsibilities.’

Mr Bruce has been approached for comment. 

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