Unscrupulous developers are using Facebook groups to arrange for the movement of thousands of tonnes of hardcore into areas of two councils, sparking fears of a fresh series of traveller 'land grabs' over the bank holiday weekend.
At least two councils are on red alert amid fears of a fresh series of traveller ' land grabs ' over the bank holiday weekend after plans emerged to move thousands of tonnes of hardcore into their areas.
Unauthorised traveller sites regularly spring up across the country over bank holidays as unscrupulous developers take advantage of council enforcement teams being off work. Among the latest was a 12-pitch caravan site built over the May Day bank holiday weekend at Willows Green, a picturesque hamlet in Essex.
On the morning of Friday May 1, the Daily Mail revealed that a field in the hamlet was at risk of unauthorised development after uncovering a post in a Facebook group asking for thousands of tonnes of hardcore - a type of crushed stone used to construct a solid base for developments. Within hours of the local district council closing later that evening, an army of workers, vehicles and machinery pulled onto the land and began converting it into a traveller site.
Now we can reveal that a construction firm boss is using the same Facebook group to arrange for lorry loads of aggregate to be delivered to development locations in Horley, Surrey, and Horsham, East Sussex. Karl Kavanagh, 48, who runs Hampshire based KK Construction, posted to the group on Wednesday that he wanted about 100 loads of crushed aggregate for a location in the Horley area of Surrey over Saturday and Sunday.
He followed up with a further post on Thursday saying tipper lorries were needed in the Horsham area from Saturday to Monday for the price of £200 a load. A tractor operating today near a traveller site in the Kent commuter village of West Malling.
Residents fear the work is in preparation for an unauthorised expansion of the site An aerial view of the development, which won retrospective planning permission in 2025 despite being built illegally The posts raised eyebrows among some members of the group. One wrote 'we see what you're doing' in a comment that was liked by Mr Kavanagh. An industry insider said: 'I don't know what these are for, but the timing over a bank holiday is unusual.
No one would usually work after close of business on Friday.
' When the Mail called him, Mr Kavanagh claimed not to know what the loads were for or the precise sites they were intended for, other than the fact they were in Horley and Horsham. He said: 'I'm a subcontractor. I don't know what it's for. I'm just trying to organise it for a main contractor we do a lot of building work for.
I was just asked to put up the posts as a registered building company.
' He said he could not rule out the loads being destined for traveller sites as some firms would be willing to provide the materials 'when money was involved'. He refused to provide contact details for the main contractor. The Mail alerted Horsham Council and Reigate and Banstead Council to the posts, with the latter launching an immediate investigation.
Reigate and Banstead Council is aware of a 40-acre site that changed hands in February for £403,000, but the names of the new owners are not yet registered with the Land Registry. A spokesman said: 'Thank you for alerting us and sharing your intelligence on the potential activity over the weekend, which has been passed to our planning enforcement team.
'We have various fields covered by existing court injunctions across the Horley and Salfords area. We have made enquiries as to where the land in question might be but other than the Facebook post requesting lorry hire and aggregate for the Horley area, we haven't yet been able to confirm a particular site.
'However, we will continue to monitor the situation and planning enforcement officers are on standby to respond to any incidents reported. In addition, our Joint Enforcement Team is on call over the weekend, as usual, to deal with a range of issues, including unlawful encampments.
In addition, our Joint Enforcement Team is on call over the weekend, as usual, to deal with a range of issues, including unlawful encampments
Traveller Sites Hardcore Movement Facebook Groups Council Enforcement Teams Bank Holiday Weekend Unscrupulous Developers Land Grabs Hardcore Councils Development Locations Construction Firm Boss Planning Enforcement Team Unlawful Encampments Planning Consent Retrospective Planning Permission Kent Commuter Belt Village Travellers Hardcore Movement Facebook Groups Council Enforcement Teams Bank Holiday Weekend Unscrupulous Developers Land Grabs Hardcore Councils Development Locations Construction Firm Boss Planning Enforcement Team Unlawful Encampments Planning Consent Retrospective Planning Permission
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