Travellers Found in Contempt of Court Over Caravan Site
Travellers have been found in contempt of court and could face jail time for continuing to work on a caravan site near Sir Winston Churchill’s family home when they were ordered not to. The group has been accused of installing drainage pipes and laying trenches, which has angered local residents who want to see them sent to prison.
The group sparked outrage by transforming the site into a caravan park in just 48 hours. They worked at an “extraordinary pace” in an alleged attempt to avoid council action by working on a Friday afternoon during a Bank Holiday weekend last year. An injunction called a Dove order was issued in August, banning further work at the site at Seasons Farm in Pootings, near Westerham.
The group of 10 travellers has now been found in contempt by a judge at the High Court for breaching the injunction. The site is just a few miles from Chartwell, a country house that was the home of Sir Winston Churchill for over 40 years. The wartime Prime Minister and his wife Clementine bought the property in 1922 and lived there until shortly before his death in January 1965. It is now run by the National Trust.
Pootings is a leafy village where numerous properties are listed for sale for millions of pounds. However, the local council alleged the travellers breached the order in the following days and weeks and took them back to court. Now a High Court judge has ruled in the council’s favor, and a separate hearing will take place to determine the sanctions.
Twelve caravans have been at the site, along with a mobile home valued at around £130,000 and a brand new £40,000 BMW car. Locals claim the group has caused “havoc” by throwing eggs at residents, cutting down trees, letting out horses, and being a general nuisance.
One resident said: “It’s been dreadful. They do whatever they like. Locals have had eggs thrown at them. It is intimidating. Their horses have broken out into the road, they have chopped trees down. It’s been havoc. It’s great news they have been found in contempt of court. I’d now like to see them jailed and face serious fines for what they have done. A strong message needs to be sent out to say we should not tolerate this any longer.”
In High Court paperwork, the ten travellers involved were named as Patrick Delaney, William Harrington, John Quilligan, Thomas O’Brien, Thomas Coffey, Amanda Coffey, Chantelle Harrington, Sharon O’Brien, Katerina O’Brien, and Naomi O’Brien. A judge found that the men planned the move and bought the land to “form a settled base.”
Judge John Halford, sitting as a deputy judge, ruled: “I find that drainage and other pipes were added to the cesspool/septic tank area and that trenches were laid from the hardstanding area to the cesspool.” Although he said the “evidence is unclear as to when this happened and who was responsible,” Judge Halford added: “It is clear to the criminal standard from the photographs that it occurred after notice of the Dove order.”
He said: “I have concluded that the men either undertook these works, or permitted or instructed that they should happen, intentionally and knowingly in either case. As the cesspool/septic tank was a joint project for everyone’s benefit, I consider each of the men were responsible as this was part of the plan they had formed for the site. I find that the men are all in contempt of court in this respect also.”
He later added in the ruling: “Regardless of whether or not they knew and understood the terms of the Dove order before 29 August 2025, each of the women and men are in contempt of court because they have breached the orders.”
In recent months, travellers have moved in to sites on Bank Holiday weekends, apparently exploiting when council offices are likely to be closed. This has happened at another site at Sundridge, near Sevenoaks, and others in Surrey and Hertfordshire.
A Sevenoaks District Council spokesperson said: “Whilst we welcome the judgement of the court, as legal proceedings are continuing, we are unable to provide any further comment on the case.”
Approached at the site in Pootings, unidentified members of the traveller families said there was “nobody available to comment”.
