Residents in Sawbridgeworth, East Hertfordshire, say they have been left devastated after diggers moved onto a wildlife-rich wetland site over the Bank Holiday weekend, in what neighbours fear is another instance of a "land grab" by travellers exploiting the closure of council offices. Workers arrived on Friday morning with heavy machinery, lorries and fencing, and video shared on social media shows the greenbelt floodplain being churned up despite the presence of nesting birds. Locals believe the site is being prepared as an unauthorised traveller encampment, echoing a wider pattern seen in the Home Counties where land is developed without permission over long weekends, with retrospective planning permission later sought and often granted due to an "unmet need for pitches".

East Hertfordshire Council has issued a Temporary Stop Notice ordering work to halt, but residents say machinery and vehicles have continued operating regardless, with further hardcore material being brought onto the site. One long-time resident described feeling "powerless" and "devastated" at the destruction of habitat used by protected species including bats, newts and nesting birds. Only two police officers were reportedly in attendance as the work continued, and neighbours have organised a peaceful protest for Sunday morning in the hope of prompting a faster response from authorities.