Britain's traveller hotspot where towns and villages fight 'never ending' battle with families who repeatedly return to illegal sites just months after being ordered to leave

Published: 15:15, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 15:16, 18 July 2026 Residents in Buckinghamshire said they are trapped in an ongoing battle with traveller families who repeatedly return to illegal sites just months after being ordered to leave.  Furious locals say the group have been reappearing for years in car parks, lay-bys and fields across the home county. This cycle comes despite repeated enforcement action by the local authority, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill each time.   One park in High Wycombe, named The Rye, has become synonymous with the recurring problem, with residents claiming authorities have never managed to solve it despite costly enforcement action.  Figures obtained by the Daily Mail reveal Buckinghamshire Council spent £3,702 removing one unauthorised encampment at The Rye over two days in 2025 alone.  However, locals claim the site has been a favoured spot for travellers for years, with police having to go to such lengths of applying for injunctions to forcibly remove settlers.  As Buckinghamshire recorded the biggest increase in the number of caravans in England over the past two years, residents shared frustrations over their return and the length of time it takes to clear some sites.  'It feels like they are always coming back,' Amy, who has lived in High Wycombe her whole life, told the Mail. Buckingham Council allocated £3,702 to the removal of travellers from The Rye, High Wycombe, (pictured) over two days - where the average house sells for £700,000 Furious locals say travellers have been reappearing for years in car parks, lay-bys and fields across the county, including a site now nicknamed 'Gypsy Lane' (pictured) 'They go to lots of places across Buckinghamshire. Anywhere they get into - car parks, fields, anything - they will park up.' 'It takes days in places like The Rye to remove illegal sites, whereas in areas with less expensive houses or out in the countryside, it takes weeks,' the mother-of-one said.  'We pay a lot of council tax that is meant to pay for things like that.' Meanwhile, locals say repeated encampments have placed further pressure on communities and council resources, with residents complaining of littering and anti-social behaviour. This comes as grandmother-of-one Linda claimed to have witnessed anti-social behaviour and shoplifting from groups of young travellers while working at a cosmetic store in High Wycombe.  Another local, who did not wish to be named, said it took a week to remove an unauthorised encampment on the outskirts of High Wycombe. The woman said the group of travellers utilised 'crafty' tricks by arriving before a weekend. 'The group broke down the barrier and broke through the lock to get in,' she said.  Locals say repeated encampments have placed further pressure on communities and council resources, with residents complaining of littering  Residents of Chalfont St Peters, where the average house sells for £800,000, recently reacted in anger to the council approving a permanent traveller site (pictured) earlier this year  'They came on a Friday evening so nobody could do anything.' The local added the site was left 'in a tip', saying: 'They left everything, from lumps of metal to broken chairs.'  Groups arrive on sites on Friday evenings or before Bank Holiday weekends, residents said, making it harder for councils to begin legal action before the start of the following week.  Earlier this year, the council secured a High Court injunction to remove unauthorised mobile homes on Easter Weekend after caravans were illegally moved on to green belt land near Chesham. The group arrived on Thursday evening. Buckinghamshire Council said staff visited the next day and 'observed multiple men, trade vehicles and evidence of caravans and works' on the site. Asked whether the council treated all sites equally, the local woman replied sarcastically: 'Everybody is treated equally, ha ha.'  The Rye, where the average house sells for £700,000, joins other locations where residents say the same recurring pattern has emerged.  A lay-by has been nicknamed 'Gypsy Lane' (pictured) by locals because of the frequency with which travellers have pitched up there over several decades Steve Turner (left) and Greg Noble (right) said they are trapped in an ongoing battle with traveller families who repeatedly return to illegal sites just months after being ordered to leave Twenty miles away, near the village of Stoke Hammond, sits a lay-by locals have nicknamed 'Gypsy Lane' because of the frequency with which travellers have pitched up there over several decades. Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show Buckinghamshire Council spent £556 and took 21 days to resolve an unauthorised encampment at the site in 2025. Despite this, travellers returned to the lay-by in the same year. They were removed after two days and at the cost of £886. For Steve Turner, the issue has become part of the area's identity. The lay-by is a popular spot for fishermen, sitting alongside the Grand Union Canal. 'They have been coming here for more than twenty years,' the 59-year-old told the paper. 'They come down all the time. It is a constant thing. It has been called "Gypsy Lane" for the last thirty to forty years.' Mr Turner, who has fished near Stoke Hammond since he was eight years old, said he remembers seeing the 'occasional' caravans during his childhood but believes the number of encampments has increased over time.  He added: 'They turn up quickly. One minute there are two or three people, and then you turn your back and there are 20 to 30.  Your browser does not support iframes. 'The council are quick at helping to remove them. But they drive away and then just come back.'  Mr Turner noted that piles of litter are typically left by visitors, adding: 'It is a shame, it is actually quite a nice place.' Across Buckinghamshire, reported fly-tipping incidents on public land jumped from 3,293 in 2022/2023 to 4,272 in 2023/2024. Meanwhile, Greg Noble, who lives nearby, said: 'Nothing seems to be happening about the ongoing issue of them coming back. 'The impact of this is definitely felt by locals. It shouldn't happen.' Buckinghamshire Council told the Mail the county 'experiences relatively low levels of unauthorised encampments', adding: 'We take concerns raised by residents seriously and take appropriate action in line with our legal responsibilities and the circumstances of each case.' However, in some circumstances, locals have been left with little choice but to protect their land. Martin Moore, from Marlow, claimed people have resorted to having to put barriers up around their land to prevent traveller groups from getting in. Chalfont St Peter - where the average house sells for £800,000 - has become a focal point in the debate over traveller encampments, with claims on anti-social behaviour. Martin Moore, from Marlow, described residents having to take matter into their own hands and build barriers themselves, in order to keep travellers off their land As well as showing the number of unauthorised sites, figures reveal the cost of removing illegal encampments across Buckinghamshire. Alongside the £3,702 spent clearing The Rye last year, some £3,206 was spent removing an encampment from a car park in Chalfont St Peter during a single-day operation in 2024.  The village itself - where the average house sells for £800,000 - has become a focal point in the debate over traveller encampments, with claims on anti-social behaviour. In February, the council granted retrospective planning permission for a permanent four-pitch traveller site on green belt land after caravans had already been established there without permission.  The decision followed the council's legal obligation to assess and provide for the accommodation needs of Gypsy and traveller communities.  Umair Mohammed, who works at Savers store in the village of Chalfont St Peter, told the Mail that his staff had been physically abused and one had a drink thrown over them.  A spokesperson from Thames Valley Police said the force remains 'committed to tackling shoplifting and retail crime across the Thames Valley', adding 'retail crime will not be tolerated'.  As the August Bank Holiday approaches, residents in the area say they have little faith the problem will be resolved anytime soon.