The travellers vs the Earl: Traveller who turned idyllic beauty spot into illegal 'prison camp' must tear it down after losing three-year battle with angry villagers

A traveller who defaced a beauty spot with a caravan site resembling a 'prison camp' faces having to tear it down after losing a three-year battle with villagers – weeks after a judge ruled against him in a separate case brought by a local earl. 

Leeroy Johnstone had only recently lost a High Court showdown with the 83-year-old Earl of Inchcape after he claimed rights over woodland on his sprawling Wiltshire estate.

The wealthy peer, Kenneth Mackay, spent more than £100,000 on dog-handler security guards and surveillance cameras after Mr Johnstone claimed he had bought part of his woodland from a farmer.

During that bitter dispute, Mr Johnstone allegedly threatened to descend on the woods with '50 people and 15 dogs' to fight the Earl's security team.

In his ruling last month, Mr Justice Marcus Smith ruled in the aristocrat's favour, declaring him the legal owner of the woodland and permanently banning Mr Johnstone from entering it.      

He has now suffered a second blow after planning inspectors ruled against a traveller site he built nearby, raising the prospect the council could make him demolish it. 

The traveller sparked fury in the sleepy parish of Clyffe Pypard in 2023 after transforming a patch of protected countryside into a traveller site surrounded by 5ft-high fences.

The unauthorised development – complete with three caravans and hardstanding – was described by one incandescent local politician as 'reminiscent of a prison camp'.

Leeroy Johnstone sparked fury in the sleepy parish of Clyffe Pypard in 2023 after transforming a patch of protected countryside into a traveller site

The traveller site is surrounded by 5ft-high fences and positioned right next to a row of houses 

The Planning Inspectorate decision comes just weeks after the traveller was defeated in a separate High Court showdown with the 83-year-old Earl of Inchcape (pictured) 

It also infuriated parish councillors who complained it would spoil the view for walkers following the scenic White Horse Way, which winds through Wiltshire's rolling countryside past its famous giant chalk horse figures.

Mr Johnstone moved onto the land with his family in 2023 before applying for retrospective planning permission the following year.

This sparked a bitter three-year planning battle with Wiltshire Council, which has now ended in defeat for the father-of-five after a planning inspector threw out his bid to keep the site. 

Despite Mr Johnstone's claims that his children and grandchildren would have nowhere to go to, planning inspector Laura Cuthbert said the site 'failed to conserve the natural beauty and special qualities' of the North Wessex Downs.

The appeal loss means he now faces immediate enforcement action from Wiltshire Council to clear the camp and return the land to its former state.

It is also a victory for villagers of Clyffe Pypard – an ancient settlement named in the Domesday book – who long complained that a once-open green space on the edge of their rural community had been illegally commandeered by Mr Johnstone.

Local residents claimed he purchased the land with a 'no development' clause before doing precisely that.

Parish councillor Dr Guy Rickett said that the camp 'destroyed habitat for local wildlife' with 'barricade' fencing 'totally out of keeping for the area'.

He added in an objection to Mr Johnstone's bid for planning consent: 'What used to be a beautiful peaceful rural setting has turned into an eyesore.'

Councillor Allison Bucknell added: 'The overall feeling when entering this previously wide open cul-de-sac is of being hemmed in and restricted, which is oppressive.

'The close board fencing makes the site look and feel like a fortress.'

Other villagers warned that the site would 'lower housing prices' and harm the 'community's current trusting and friendly attitude'.

Rosemary Greenway wrote in an objection: 'This Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty should not be destroyed any further.

'The site was sold with a restriction on any building on it and should remain so.'

Mr Johnstone had claimed the land was needed to accommodate his wife Loretta and their children and grandchildren, and that they would be left living on the roadside if they lost their Wiltshire home.

The wealthy peer got into a dispute with Mr Johnstone after the traveller claimed he had bought part of his woodland from a farmer. The woodland is seen at the top of this image 

The village of Clyffe Pypard, with the traveller site marked out 

In his statement, he said: 'I am a Traveller and have lived a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle for most of my life.'

He added: 'The site is our settled base. We have nowhere else to lawfully live. It is essential for our family's wellbeing, stability, and ability to access education and healthcare.

'The living conditions on the site for my family and me are perfectly adequate and suitable,' he insisted.

The appeal heard that there was a waiting list for families to move onto the three authorised traveller sites in the county.

Planning inspector Ms Cuthbert, however, ruled that the damage to the landscape outweighed the personal circumstances of Mr Johnstone and his brood.

She said: 'The occupiers are members of the Gypsy and Traveller community, and I have taken full account of their protected characteristics, cultural identity, family life, the best interests of the children, and the likely consequences of dismissal of the appeal.

'These matters have been fully taken into account in the weight I have afforded to the personal circumstances of the occupiers and the best interests of the children.'

Ms Cuthbert said the caravans, fencing and 'domestic paraphernalia' had spoiled the village's rural setting, adding that the 'development was undertaken intentionally without planning permission'.