Dale Farm ruling expected today

Residents of Dale Farm, the UK's largest illegal Travellers' site, could discover today whether they have won their court battle against eviction.

A High Court judge in London said he hoped to give a ruling at 2pm on the Green Belt site near Basildon, Essex. He is considering three linked applications by residents for judicial review.

Their lawyers argued that Basildon Council's decision to take direct action to remove 400 Travellers was disproportionate. They said circumstances had changed since the original decision to evict residents.

Lawyers for the council argued they acted lawfully and reasonably and complied with their statutory duty.