TRAVELLERS have been ordered to leave an illegal site opposite Britain’s top-secret nuclear weapons facility after building 13 static homes.
Dozens of families moved onto land opposite the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) spot in Berkshire, despite a planning injunction.
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The sprawling site is Britain’s largest of three locations where nuclear warheads are manufactured.
West Berkshire Council first ordered work to stop in November last year after a planning application was submitted.
But building work continued, with heavy machinery used to clear the land and create multiple additional plots.
A High Court injunction was then granted in December, banning further development and residential occupation.
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Despite the order, the site continued to grow and by May this year there were at least 22 occupied pitches.
Multiple planning applications were later submitted but were described as invalid and incomplete.
Now High Court Judge Sylvia de Bertodano has rejected a bid by families to alter the injunction so they could remain while seeking planning permission.
The families had argued their rights under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights should allow them to stay.
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They also raised the welfare of children living on the site and offered to leave if a future appeal against planning enforcement failed.
But the judge said she could not allow the families to “ride roughshod” over the court’s previous order.
She said allowing them to remain would render the planning injunctions “entirely toothless”.
The judge said she was minded to order all families to leave by October 5.
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One family will be exempt because they were living on their plot before the December injunction was served.
AWE had warned that the presence of people on the site was affecting its Off-Site Emergency Plan.
Judge de Bertodano said it was “clear” the situation could impact the safety of others.
A witness also warned caravans could not provide the same protection as brick-built homes during a nuclear emergency.
Locals had meanwhile been left “fearing for their safety” as the unauthorised development continued.
More than 600 people signed a petition demanding an immediate halt to construction and land development.
Residents claimed machinery was operating from 6am until almost midnight, causing noise, disruption and distress.
They also claimed there had been attempts to illegally access the residential park’s water and electricity supplies.
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In a statement, residents said: “This situation has left our community feeling unsafe, anxious, and unprotected.”
They insisted the petition was not aimed at travellers because of their identity, but was about “legal compliance, safety, and environmental protection”.
West Berkshire Council said it understood how “distressing” the situation had been for nearby residents.
A spokesperson said the authority had gathered evidence and reports to support urgent escalation of the case.
The council also said planning enforcement was a civil process and it did not have powers to remove people from the land.
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It had requested support from Thames Valley Police and Ministry of Defence Police over site activity and public safety.
Further rulings are expected by September 14, with the exact removal arrangements yet to be finalised.