Labour ministers have been accused of 'burying their heads in the sand' over an explosion of illegal traveller sites across England The Conservatives hit out in the wake of figures released earlier this month that showed the number of caravans being pitched on unauthorised sites hit a record level this year.The alarm has been raised at a new tactic being used to ensure these pitches are allowed to remain in place despite breaking the rules.Across Middle England, gangs have been turning up at weekends and on bank holidays to tarmac over fields they have bought, knowing that the local council's planning office is closed and they are unlikely to be disturbed.They then seek retrospective planning permission for the location, often one designated as a greenfield site, once it has been concreted over.It comes in the wake of a 2024 High Court ruling that quashed an attempt to clamp down on unauthorised sites because it would breach European human rights laws. The government has also axed stand-alone rules governing the siting of traveller sites, incorporating it into the National Planning Policy Framework (NPFP). The Tories accused Labour of washing its hands of the problem, with housing minister Matthew Pennycook repeatedly saying it is an issue local councils must deal with themselves.They also said Labour's relaxing of planning rules to allow more homes to be built across England makes it harder to block sites from being set up. Shadow communities secretary James Cleverly said: 'Illegal traveller sites are soaring under Labour, yet Ministers have buried their heads in the sand.