Dale Farm, the largest Traveller campsite in Europe, is facing imminent eviction. In response, supports and activists have announced that they would be setting up a full-scale protest camp, dubbed Camp Constant in reference to Constant & Co., the bailiff company that will pocket millions of pounds for carrying out the biggest eviction operation in British history.

The community's representatives had originally been told by Basildon District Council, Essex, that a 28-day eviction notice would be served on them on 14th March. The council has not served the notice yet, but they can now do so at any time.

Activists and campaigners have pledged to form a 'human shield' around the site to prevent Constant bulldozers from demolishing the Travellers' homes. The eviction is expected to last up to three weeks.

Meanwhile, the cost of the planned eviction is skyrocketing. Basildon District Council has voted to spend £8 million on the operation, in addition to up to £10m in policing costs and £2.5 million already spent on legal and other costs. An application to have the Home Office foot the bill has been turned down. On 14th March, the council announced, at a special meeting, that it will be taking a bank loan to cover the eviction bill.

The multi-million pound operation comes at a time when as many as 100 Basildon Council jobs are likely to be axed to 'help' the borough cope with budget cuts, which will leave it £2.3million short (see here). Basildon is also cutting £505,000 to disabled services (see here).

Ironically, the eviction costs are being blamed as one of the reasons why the council is selling off playing fields in the green belt to allow developers to build on them in order to 'increase their value' (see here).

For more information, see this press pack. For more background on Dale Farm and Constant & Co., see this Corporate Watch article.