Furious neighbours have accused councils of 'sitting back and doing nothing' as travellers used diggers and bulldozers to tarmac over fields in a fresh wave of illegal land grabs. Unscrupulous developers took advantage of the late May bank holiday weekend to move in caravans on patches of picturesque countryside in Hampshire and Bedfordshire. Locals in the hamlet of Wivelrod, Hampshire, said 'all hell broke loose' last Friday when lorries with heavy machinery started thundering up and down their tranquil lane. Then over the course of the three-day break - and despite planning permission not being obtained - a nearby field was concreted over and a number of mobile homes moved in. Meanwhile in Wilstead, Bedfordshire, an unauthorised traveller pitch with a hardcore base was also set up on a patch of countryside off the A6. In both cases, neighbours claim their local councils were aware that such works were taking place but did nothing to step in and stop them. It 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. HAMPSHIRE: Aerial image shows a field having been tarmacked over to make way for a traveller site HAMPSHIRE: Image shows the field in Wivelrod in 2019 before it was paved over without planning permission HAMPSHIRE: Work began at the site in Wivelrod on Friday - to the dismay of locals And in many cases, the travellers have been granted the right to establish permanent encampments on the land because there is an 'unmet need' for pitches in the area. Locals living in Wivelrod told the Daily Mail of their dismay at the development of an unauthorised traveller site in their village. One man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'A week ago all hell broke loose. Before it all happened, everything was normal, everything was tranquil. 'Then all of a sudden these lorries started thundering past. 'We have lived here for 40 years and people don't tend to come and go that much but we feel like we have been violated. 'We're a close-knit community, we're not unwelcoming, but how can you welcome people when they behave like that?'It is really stressing me out and my wife is not sleeping.' Planning permission for a traveller site in Wivelrod was first sought in 2019 after the land was sold to new owners - but this was refused following objections from locals. The decision went to appeal but this too was dismissed in November 2022, and since then, the land has only been used to graze horses and ponies. BEDFORDSHIRE: Borough Councillor Marc Frost described the area as an 'open space' that should be protected BEDFORDSHIRE: The field in Wilstead is seen before a traveller site was installed without planning permission Neighbours have criticised East Hants District Council for not doing enough to stop the unauthorised works at the traveller site over the bank holiday weekend. 'We feel completely ambushed and completely unsupported by the council,' one person said. 'They published a sort of banner note on their website on Tuesday, saying they were aware of what was going on but they have done nothing to prevent the works. 'There are around half a dozen or so caravans on the site now.'The council has already decided that the field is not suitable for gypsy pitches so why have they not moved faster and prevented the works.' MP for East Hampshire Damian Hinds called for the law to be changed to make clear that development done 'deliberately without planning permission is never acceptable'. He said: 'I put to ministers that it should be made clear and unambiguous that retrospective permission cannot later be given if planning consent requirements have been willfully ignored. 'I also support the case for rules against delivery of construction materials and mobile housing units to unlawful sites, and fast-tracking court processes for councils to serve and enforce injunctions.'Meanwhile in Wilstead, locals alerted Bedford Borough Council to the possibility of the development of an unauthorised traveller site at a parish council meeting in May.However, they say their concerns were dismissed and, instead, a mobile home was moved onto the plot over the weekend.