The High Court will today rule on whether bailiffs from Basildon Council can begin evicting travellers from Dale Farm in Essex.
The travellers won a last-minute injunction on Monday that postponed eviction. Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart asked the council to serve a notice to residents clearly detailing what was proposed for the site before they could carry out any clearance.
The council has complied and the High Court is expected to make a final decision before noon today.
Court orders Dale Farm barricades to go
High Court injunction halts eviction of Dale Farm
Dale Farm is the largest illegal site in the UK. Basildon Council and Dale Farm's residents have been battling over the land for a decade.
The leader of Basildon Council Tony Ball said that if the injunctions are lifted, evictions will likely not start until Saturday.
Ball said: “There will be significant activity if the injunction is lifted. We need to get the site cleared. Everyone agrees there has to be resolution to this.”
The council had expressed concerns about health and safety earlier this week as activists and travellers erected makeshift barricades to keep bailiffs out.
This week it was revealed that Basildon Council is paying housing benefits to around 25 "households" on unauthorised pitches at Dale Farm. A council spokesperson defended the position, stating: "People are entitled to make a claim even if the property they are renting does not have planning permission."
