EMOTIONS were running high at an emergency public meeting called to discuss gipsies in Anderton.

Almost 200 angry residents packed into Barnton Memorial Hall to find out what councillors had been doing to get the travellers moved on.

Vale Royal borough councillor Norman Wright, Cheshire county councillor Malcolm Byram, borough council director of social and community services Richard Hallows and head of planning and building control Richard Ellison, ran the gauntlet of furious questions from the public.

The meeting on Saturday was told the Hamilton family filled in a drainage ditch to gain access to the site in Hough Lane at about 8am on Good Friday, before trucks arrived to lay builder's rubble on the field. Fencing was put up and the family and their five caravans were moved in by 8pm that night.

Richard Hallows confirmed that although the gipsies own the land, they did not have planning permission for caravans.

He said: "A planning application was submitted online at 6.50pm on Maundy Thursday but we close at 7pm so we missed that one for which we have to apologise. It wasn't validated and the applicant has been advised of what needs doing for it to be validated."

Vale Royal Borough Council secured a High Court hearing on Friday with a view to getting three travellers moved on and the site restored but it had to be postponed until today, Wednesday, because of the volume of evidence.

A stop order' was issued on Easter Sunday to prevent any more development but the gipsies erected more fencing and installed a portable toilet.

An infuriated resident asked the panel why they had been allowed to get away with it, to which Mr Hallows replied: "Seeking imprisonment over a few fence panels would not have been an appropriate response. People put up porches and the like all the time without proper permission and imprisonment is not the right penalty."

Anderton parish councillor Phil Knight said the travellers had been using the water supply from a neighbouring farm and when the farmer turned of the supply, a confrontation leading to assault ensued. Police were unable to confirm this.

Richard Ellison said: "This kind of development is considered inappropriate and harmful to the green belt. In order to get planning permission, the travellers would have to prove very special circumstances', which are not defined."

Richard Ellison said: "We have commissioned consultants to try and come up with sites for travellers. The council will then have to consider the results of that work.

"We realise there is an issue in Vale Royal and we need to do something about it."

None of the travellers was present at the meeting but have denied doing anything illegal or with an intention to cause harm or upset.