scaffold tower on the front gate, with the help of cherry pickers. Around 4:45 pm. on 20 October, a number of Dale Farm Travellers and supporters walked out of the site. Removal of mobile homes on the site by the bailiffs began and media access to the site was restricted for several days. Post-eviction On 5 November 2011, following indications that Travellers intended to return to the site, Basildon Council was awarded an order at the High Court to prevent the former residents illegally reoccupying the site. On 7 November, an application by Dale Farm neighbour and property developer Len Gridley to the High Court to force the Basildon Council to remove debris from the illegal site was denied. His garden backs on to Dale Farm and he has received public death threats. Gridley said the delay in clearing the site has decreased the value of his property, and has criticised the council's decision to allow the size of the legal site to be increased without planning permission. Essex Police said that there were 34 arrests at the site for offences including violent disorder, breach of the peace and obstruction on 19 and 20 October. A police spokesman said all of the people arrested were activists, not Travellers. Basildon Council successfully prosecuted two people for obstructing a bailiff and issued cautions to 10 people. It later dropped the prosecution of 14 others. On 17 May 2012, the High Court ruled that Essex Police could not order media groups to release 100 hours of broadcast and unbroadcast material of the eviction. The Council had said that it planned to return the site to open land, which would take several weeks. They were required to restore any walls and fences damaged during clearance. Since its clearance, the site has been left mostly derelict and overgrown by natural vegetation. In August 2012 the British Environment Agency collected soil samples from the cleared site for three days. Council contractors entered the site in March 2013 to remove asbestos from a small section; Council leader Tony Ball said the action was necessary because abatement notices had been ignored. Basildon intended to recover the costs from the landowners concerned. The agency reported in May 2013 that there was no significant health risk. In July 2014, a woman won a £15,000 compensation payout from Essex Police. She claimed that she was assaulted while taking part in the