Residents of Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, came out in their hundreds over the weekend after a wildlife haven was ripped apart with heavy machinery, before caravans moved in.

The group moved on to the privately-owned site near Greensward Lane in Rochford, Essex, on Friday and soon started digging up turf without planning permission.

Hundreds of outraged locals flocked to the field in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, to vent their anger at the work that began on the land on August 29.

Travellers descended on a large patch of greenery, home to muntjac deer and acting as a floodplain for part of the town, on Sheering Mill Lane on Saturday morning.

Residents of Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, came out in their hundreds over the weekend after a wildlife haven was ripped apart with heavy machinery, before caravans moved in.