Travellers move on to Prince Charles' estate in Dorset

  • Published

A group of travellers has moved into a village on Prince Charles' estate in Dorset.

About eight adults and six children have set up four caravans on a green space, known as the great field, in Poundbury, Dorchester.

The family arrived at the village from Paignton, Devon, on Tuesday and said they would move on by Sunday.

A spokeswoman for the Duchy of Cornwall estate, which owns the land, said staff had spoken to the travellers.

"A member of the staff from the Poundbury Estate has spoken to the travellers who say they will leave within a week," she said.

Dorset County Council's gypsy and traveller liaison officer, Paula Clover, visited the travellers shortly after they arrived.

She said: "I think they are genuine, they are just travelling along the south coast for the summer."

Poundbury, which was created in 1993, is an urban extension to Dorchester and was built by the prince to encourage greener ways of living.

It is home to 1,500 people, with plans for developing housing for about 5,000 people and creating 2,000 jobs in the factories, offices and general facilities across the site by 2025.

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