VILLAGERS have attacked the council for approving two Traveller sites.

Hundreds of residents are hounding Cheshire West and Chester Council with emails, petitions, letters and FOI requests after they granted permission for a temporary Travellers’ site in Dunham-on-the-Hill.

More than 100 Dunham-on-the-Hill residents vowed to fight Cheshire West and Chester Council to stop a fourth Travellers’ site pitching up on their doorstep at an emergency meeting last Wednesday.

The meeting saw villagers from Dunham, Hapsford, Helsby and Alvanley unite in their anger against CWaC’s decision to allow a two year temporary site in Hillcrest, Chester Road, Dunham-on-the-Hill.

A 1,500-signature petition against the authority has been signed.

The meeting came after another application for 14 pitches on Renley, Chester Road, was launched just a day after councillors approved the neighbouring site, despite there already being nine sites, totalling 40 pitches, within a four-mile radius of their village.

Chairman of Dunham-on-the-Hill and Hapsford Parish Council, Andy Jones, said: “This is not a fight against the Travellers, it is against the council, we need to highlight the failings of CWaC and stop the loss of more Green Belt land in our parish.

“If we can get 1,500 signatures then CWaC have to debate in open council why they haven't found the alternative sites that they promised. We cannot just accept what is going to happen, we need to find out what is going on and why this is happening.”

Residents slated CWaC’s controversial decisions, saying they would:

destroy the Green Belt land and their countryside community,

have a detrimental impact on schools,

reduce the value of their homes and land.

One resident said: “We have been promised these sites for years, what are the council doing, the sites are available why are they not getting off their back sides and buying them.”

Hundreds of villagers are hounding the authority with letters, emails, FOI requests and phone calls in an attempt to get councillors to “sit up and listen”.

Spokesman for CWaC Ian Callister said: “Obviously it is any resident’s right to protest if they feel that this is warranted. “However I can only report that this authority is required by law to provide a certain number of sites for Gypsys and Travellers.

“If we do not provide these sites it is likely that anyone moving on to unauthorised land would be successful on appeal.”