TRAVELLERS are launching a series of protests over the quality of accommodation offered to them facing eviction.

Tomorrow residents of Dale Farm in Crays Hill will hold a demonstration in protest at new homes being offered to families facing eviction from the site.

The group will rally outside Southend County Court ahead of a test case in which Barbara Sheridan, sister of site spokesman Richard Sheridan, and husband and wife John and Mary Flynn, will argue the council has a duty to offer them an alternative traveller site instead of traditional housing.

The legal case came after being offered what travellers describe as “bad quality flats” after making it clear to the authority they cannot tolerate living in housing and want to stay in caravans or mobile homes.

Campaigner Grattan Puxon said: “The protests will also argue travellers are victims of the coalition cuts like anyone else. We understand the budgets for councils to create traveller sites have been dropped and the duty for councils to have designate land for sites has also been cut.”

There are also expected to be protests outside two High Court cases involving the Hovefields traveller site, in Wickford, next week.

On Tuesday the council will apply for an injunction to outlaw any families returning to the seven recently demolished pitches.

Then on Thursday, September 24, Matilda Boswell, who is protected from eviction by a separate High Court injunction, will argue it would be wrong for her to be thrown off before a suitable alternative site has been found.

Campaigners for the travellers are also sending complaints to Essex Police about the speed at which they moved on five traveller families evicted from Hovefields from a number of private areas of land in Basildon last week.

Mr Puxon added: “No attempt was made by Essex Police to ascertain the circumstances of those intended to be evicted.

“Among those forced to move at short notice were a pregnant mother, a boy with learning difficulties and a number of small children who had already undergone the trauma of seeing their homes bulldozed at Hovefields.”