Furious farmer uses tractor to block traveller encampment near Hampshire school

Meanwhile, Gosport Borough Council dispatched five vehicles to form a "ring of steel" along the field’s perimeter in a bid to block any additional caravans from gaining access.

The dramatic scenes unfolded near a school in the Rowner area of the borough, with police also attending the location.

Reform UK’s Gosport Council group shared video of the confrontation on Facebook, noting that both council vehicles and officers were on scene to deter further arrivals.

In its statement, the party branch slammed the authority over its failure to act.

"Access to the field and other areas of the Borough are too easy for vehicles to gain entry," the party declared.

While leader Nigel Farage said: "These are the crazy things that councils have to do to remove illegal encampments."

He said Reform would "give the police powers to remove illegal encampments immediately, seize the vehicles and make arrests".

"Local communities have been plagued by this madness for too long because the legacy parties are too weak to do anything about it," Mr Farage added.

Neighbour Laura Biddle told the Mail that the unauthorised camps were a recurring problem.

"I have lived here for years now and they come back every summer," she said, adding: "Let’s hope they don’t light a fire!"

Residents also reported online that once the council vehicles withdrew at 5pm, additional travellers made their way onto the site.

A councillor in neighbouring Fareham shared photos on Monday revealing the mess left behind by a separate encampment at Park Lane.

"All of which will have to be paid for by the council," he wrote, describing how travellers had broken through fencing to access the land.

Images from Fareham showed rubbish scattered across the field alongside an abandoned motorbike and pushchair.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary confirmed it was aware of the situation.

"Officers have attended the site and we are liaising with the landowners, Gosport Borough Council," a force spokesman said.

The council itself, however, has played down the significance of the encampment.

A spokesman described it as "relatively small," insisting there had been no reports of notable disruption.

Council vehicles had been operating in the Grange Lane area as part of "normal operational activity," they said.

The authority maintained it acted "based on the circumstances at the time".

The spokesman added: "We’re working with partners to ensure the welfare of those involved, and will continue to assess the situation and take appropriate action in line with our legal responsibilities and established procedures."