The tranquil idyll of Prince Charles’ ‘designer village’ of Poundbury has been shattered after gypsies moved their caravans onto the green – to the dismay of residents.
Those living on the Prince of Wales’ estate built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall woke yesterday morning to find some 20 white caravans, cars, vans and some horses had appeared on the Green Field on the edge of the development near Dorchester in Dorset.
The mob of 60 travellers are believed to be staying there before heading west across Dorset having come from the Bournemouth and Poole area.
Residents there have called on police to move the group on.
The travellers have parked up on Green Field in Poundbury. They have been asked to move on
The group are thought to be heading west across Dorset having come from Bournemouth
Pictured above are the 20 caravans, cars and trucks parked on Green Field
This is the green land surrounding the designer village of Poundbury, with an ancient mound
An unnamed woman who lives close to the site told MailOnline: ‘I’ve lived here for 15 years and whenever the travellers come, they leave behind huge piles of rubbish including human waste and gas canisters.
‘I’m worried to think about what state that field will be in when they move on.
‘Some new trees have been planted and I fear they will be chopped down.
’It wouldn’t be so bad if they cleared up their rubbish but that field has been left in a state in the past.’
Ron Hewitt, 86, a retired car company operations manager, added: ‘I know people need to have somewhere to live but in the past I’ve seen human waste left on the site. It was disgraceful.
‘I hope they are moved on as soon as possible.’
Councillor David Leaper, of Dorchester Town Council, said: ‘There are about 20 caravans which arrived yesterday, cars of various types and two or three horses.
‘I think people feel threatened when they come but I’ve heard the police and Duchy are working together and are likely to move them on quite soon.’
A resident said she wanted the group moved on as they leave human waste and gas canisters
Police and the Duchy of Cornwall, which owns the site, have been to speak to the group
Councillor Richard Briggs added: “It is an open site so it is almost impossible to keep vehicles off there.
‘We hope they can be persuaded to move on. We will treat them with respect and I hope they will show the site the same respect.’
There are concerns the group of travellers are using part of Prince Charles’ designer village of Poundbury as a dumping ground.
At 3.30pm today a van with a load full of garden waste drove into the middle of the field.
The large load was unceremoniously tipped off the back of the van, creating a large pile of tree debris.
Moments later, two teenage boys on motorcycles were seen racing each other around the field that they are illegally occupying.
Local Deborah Balmer, 62, an office manager, said: ‘I would not have a problem with travellers staying here if they didn’t leave a mess.
‘If it didn’t happen I’m sure they would be a lot more welcome.’
A police car pictured next to a caravan today as officers spoke to the travellers
Poundbury, on the edge of Dorchester, is Prince Charles’ own 20 year social experiment to design and build an ideal English village.
When completed over the next five years, the village will have a population of 6,000 living in a mixture of social and private housing.
Currently, there are some 2000 residents and 180 businesses in the village, the construction of which began back in 1993 from a plan conceived by the award-winning architect Leon Krier.
Prince Charles has lent his support to the village because it matches his own vision of preserving Britain’s heritage with sustainable and architecturally pleasing buildings.
And Poundbury has made the most of its royal links boasting a Queen Mother Square, complete with a statue of Charles’ grandmother, and the Duchess of Cornwall Inn, opened in honour of his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
MailOnline have approached the Duchy of Cornwall for comment.
A spokesman for Dorset police said: ‘Officers have attended and we have been liaising with the landowners, the local authority, and the group. We continue to provide an increased police presence in the area for community reassurance.’
The car pictured driving away. Dorset Police said they had asked the group to move on
Officers are pictured here talking to women, surrounded by cars and washing lines
Prince Charles lent his support to the village where the travellers pitched up because it matches his own vision of preserving Britain’s heritage
The invasion comes as authorities in Dorset have only just finished clearing up after the travellers who set up camp in Poole.
They left a trail of mess and destruction behind, including a broken down BMW car that was abandoned on the all-weather cricket wicket and had to be towed away.
Their stay resulted in the ground being left completely unplayable with broken glass, abandoned BBQs, scorched grass and even human waste left on the outfield.
A local jogger was so distressed by what she witnessed as she ran through the park she was reduced to tears, with the video she posted of the moment viewed by over 110,000 people.
The group of at least 60 travellers arrived at the Great Field in Poundbury at about 6pm last night (Mon).
They are believed to be heading west across Dorset having come from the Bournemouth and Poole area.
Men and women are pictured walking around the trucks and caravans in Poundbury, Dorset
Two caravans alongside cars and white vans pictured parked on a field in Poundbury, Dorset
Neil Meldrum, 40, a company director, said: “It’s a bit of a surprise because you would have thought Royal land would have a certain degree of protection.
‘There are quite a number of caravans there and vehicles driving up and down the field. A boy in his late teens was racing around on a motocross bike.
‘There are elderly residents who live near the field so this situation must be frightening for them.
‘We are worried about what state the field will be left in, A lot of work has been done in the last six months to get it to where residents want it to be.
‘There’s now a lovely area for kids, a basketball court and an artificial cricket pitch.
‘We don’t want to be left with more mess.’