I did have some sympathy for the Dale Farm travellers, but now they seem to want paying to leave, it makes me wonder if that is what it’s all about.

I had friends in Havering who were moved off their green belt land after 17 years of farming it. They didn’t get any pay-outs.

Having lost their cattle to foot and mouth, with no livestock they were not allowed to live on the land and the council moved them off. They still own the land, but can’t do much with it.

I can’t believe how vast the Dale Farm site has become. How did the council let it expand so much without sorting out the problem years ago?

R Lawson
Grove Road
Stanford-le-Hope

...What gets me about the Dale Farm travellers situation is the cruelty, the appalling animosity of their critics.

What have they done?

They’ve bought the land they live on.

Green belt rules are not set in concrete. They can be, and often are, set aside for business purposes.

What sheer hatred, what appalling hypocrisy, and what everlasting shame upon the people of Essex, who could not welcome a few people.

Ralph Walker
Holland Road
Westcliff

...I had to reply to the letter from Daniel Hughes, who incidentally doesn’t even live in Essex, but hopes the cost of evicting these people would rise.

This money is coming out of taxpayers’ pockets.

Why should these people get any money? They have chosen to live in an illegal camp, they have caused all these problems for both themselves and more important the people surrounding them.

If they choose to live legally, pay tax, National Insurance and day-to-day bills the same way everyone else does, then, and only then, should they be accepted.

In the meantime if they want to be referred to as “travellers”, then perhaps they should do us all a big favour and travel.

S Byne
Collingwood Walk
Basildon

... I read with interest the comments of Lynda Gordon, the leader of the labour group on Basildon Council regarding the eviction.

She states she is ashamed to live in Basildon and ashamed of the human race. I take from this she must be including those constituents that voted her into office.

It shows she has no regard for her constituents and even less for her party leader who has said the rule of law must be upheld.

I hope those constituents who voted her in will be having second thoughts at the next election and vote her out. Or if she had any decency, she would resign.

J Smith
Kings Park
Canvey