Travellers' mobile home burnt down overnight

A mobile home owned by members of the travelling community burnt down overnight, less than 24 hours after it was delivered to an unofficial site at the centre of a planning row.

Firefighters put out the blaze in Dinton, Buckinghamshire, on Tuesday morning.

The home was delivered to the site on Monday but the field is subject to a stop notice because the travellers began developing the land, which is in a conservation area, without planning permission.

Police have been seen approaching residents for information and a spokesperson confirmed the incident was being treated as arson.

A man who identified himself as the landowner, but declined to be named, told the BBC he and his associates were Gypsies and travellers who had nowhere else to go, and had applied for planning permission late on Friday to develop the site.

Buckinghamshire Council said it had not received a planning application, but had issued the temporary stop notice on Monday, ordering that no further materials or caravans be brought on to the land.

Lorries continued to arrive to deliver mobile homes after the notice was given, with one found to have burnt down overnight.

It is unclear what the cause was or who was to blame.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said it was called at about 07:38 GMT, and confirmed that no-one was inside the caravan at the time.

Anyone with information was asked to call 101 or report online quoting reference 43260104600.

The land, to south of Upton Road in the village, near Aylesbury, was sold last year by Michael Cook, who said he did so knowing it could not be developed due to a covenant and could only be used for agriculture.

Part of the land was sold again at auction and Cook described his "worst fears coming to fruition" as diggers and "multiple lorry-loads of rubble" arrived at the field.

The man identifying himself as the landowner told the BBC he submitted a planning application late on Friday, but went ahead with some work and would wait to hear from the council.

Asked whether he knew the land was within a conservation area and had restrictions on it, he said it was subject to a planning dispute.

The BBC has been unable to verify which plots of land the man owns.

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