WOOLVERSTONE — A local resident has been arrested following a plan to divert the River Orwell and submerge a disputed plot of floodplain currently occupied by an unauthorized traveller encampment.
By Our Norfolk Reporter: Ian Bred
The standoff began at 3:00 AM on Bank Holiday Saturday, when a convoy entered the sensitive site, an area renowned locally for its diverse flora and fauna. According to eyewitnesses, the group immediately began tipping tonnes of hardcore onto the land, destroying the natural habitat to construct a hardstanding area.
Suffolk Constabulary officers attended the scene following numerous calls from distraught residents. However, police informed the crowd that because the incident constituted a civil trespass matter, they possessed no immediate powers to halt the development. Over the subsequent 48 hours, occupiers erected high perimeter fencing in preparation for the arrival of additional caravans.
Floody hell
In response, dozens of local residents established a continuous roadside protest along the site boundary. Tensions peaked on Tuesday when one local strategist conducted an engineering survey of the nearby River Orwell to assess the feasibility of constructing an improvised dam. The proposed structure aimed to raise local water levels, intentionally flooding the low-lying meadow to render the hardcore foundation uninhabitable.
The individual, believed to be local resident and retired army Major, Brian Panhandle-Smythe DSO CIE, chair of the Ipswich chapter of do-gooding campaign group, Residents AGainst Everything (RAGE), was apprehended by police before any earth-moving equipment could be deployed. A Suffolk Constabulary spokesperson confirmed a local man remains in custody on suspicion of conspiracy to cause an Intentional Public Nuisance under Section 78 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act.
“While we understand the community’s frustration regarding the destruction of the floodplain, members of the public cannot construct unauthorized hydroelectric or civil engineering works to resolve land disputes,” the spokesperson stated.
The physical standoff at the site entrance continues, with local council authorities currently preparing emergency injunction papers.
Meanshile: An Amazon Prime delivery tracking outage forced Suffolk parcels diverted via horse and cart.