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A furious farmer got his own back on a group of travellers by barricading them in with a dozen tractors when they refused to leave.

Chris Awdry, 53, took direct action when the travellers - who had arrived with six caravans - told him he would need a court order to shift them.

He turned to police but they said it was a civil matter and refused to get involved.

So Chris called in his staff to drive the tractors around the edge of the 1.5-acre site and block them in as police watched.

And less than three hours after arriving the travellers decided it was time to leave the land in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

Mr Awdry, who rents the land, said: "They went in and they were ruining the land and we wanted them out.

"The owner of the land didn't want them there and we did what we could to protect the land.

"I had asked them nicely to leave but they said they wouldn't and that I would have to get a court order to move them on.

(Image: SWNS)

"I then contacted the police and they said it was a civil matter.

"We then decided to barricade them in until they went, with the police in attendance the whole time to keep the peace.

"I was glad we managed to sort it quickly and peacefully.

"Luckily, it happened on a day when we were not so busy harvesting, so we were able to act straight away, although even if it had been a busy day we would have still dealt with it."

One farmhand said motorists beeped their horns in support as they saw the gypsies leaving.

Police told the travellers they had to go under section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

They can invoke the law where they are satisfied two or more people are trespassing on the land and the landowner has taken reasonable steps to make them leave.

One traveller claimed they had only stopped off for food and to allow the children to rest.

Inspector Alan Lumley said: "They were peacefully dispersed without the necessity of us using police powers.

"The local land controller has been spoken to and no offences have been disclosed.

"We always try and resolve such matters peacefully, although we do have powers to remove them if needed to."