Kent has seen a surge in unauthorised traveller encampments, with the county's rural character increasingly overshadowed by unlicensed developments. The hamlet of Sandway has become a particular flashpoint, with five illegal sites appearing in just nine months, while residents warn the building work is altering the look of their area and could damage local house prices.

Beyond Sandway, at least five further unauthorised traveller sites have emerged elsewhere in Kent so far this year, taking the county-wide total to around ten. In most of the cases reported, travellers are said to have bought land before carrying out development work without the necessary planning permission, prompting anger from villagers and renewed scrutiny of enforcement against illegal sites.