The Irish Travelers facing eviction from Britain’s largest caravan site have lost a key battle in their war with the local council.

An Essex judge has ruled that Basildon Council has the right to remove caravans from 49 of the 54 plots at the Dale Farm site.

The Council cannot move against the caravans straight away however as three separate judicial reviews are underway into the attempts to evict them from the unauthorized site.

The Judge has also ordered that the Council can remove most of the concrete pitches but the walls, fences and gates have to remain on the site which the Council wanted to return to a greenbelt zone.

Residents are awaiting the result of a High Court judicial review on Tuesday as they fight to remain on the site after the initial eviction on September 19th was halted by an injunction.

Basildon Council has now spent over $30million on its bid to evict almost 400 people, most Irish Travelers, from the Dale Farm site.