Locals still terrified of landslide after traveller neighbours from hell dig up hillside
Travellers have left a site where locals feared earthworks would send soil crashing into their homes.
Travellers hit with a High Court order over illegal excavation are reported to have left a site neighbours feared would cause a land slip. A group began excavating in April, raising concerns among residents living below Nantyglo Rugby Club in Blaenau, Gwent, the land could come crashing into their homes.
A High Court injunction ordered all work not granted planning permission to end and the landowners should "cease to occupy" or reside at the site as of 6pm on Sunday.
Caravans and trailers also had to be removed from the site by 5pm on Monday, according to the order reported by the BBC.
Local resident, Christine Price, told the broadcaster she still feels concerned about a possible landslide, adding: "I'm scared it'll come through the fence and end up at my back door."
She said the need to sort out the steep embankment behind her home still remains.
Cynthia Evans, 85, told the BBC the mess left on the land is "quite unsightly" with mounds of soil left at the back of the row of houses which lie at the foot of the embankment.
Before the court order, local residents had been calling on Blaenau Gwent Council to put a stop to the work.
Hundreds of people signed a petition against the work on land near Porters Road and Banna Bungalows in the town.
Locals had been complaining of noise from heavy machinery digging throughout the night as ground just feet from their homes was bulldozed.
A counter-petition was also launched by a person who claimed to be part of the traveller group, arguing families needed somewhere to live.
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They said the local authority wasn't providing travellers with the "right needs" so those at the site were acting for themselves.
Councils are obliged to provide sites for Travellers but some authorities do not meet that obligation.
Land registry documents cited by Wales Online show there is a covenant on the land dating to 1996 which states it can only be used for grazing.
It says no buildings should be erected on the site, with Wales Online reporting in April that the owner of the site had said the land would be used to graze horses.
Blaenau Gwent Council has been approached for comment.
