The county has seen a 60% rise in illegal sites

Devon County Council withdrew planning applications for four sites on Monday, but the councillor in charge said the search for new sites would continue.

The authority had drawn up plans for transit sites near Shillingford Abbot, Ipplepen, Denbury and Fremington.

Councillor Des Sadrick said there was there was no option but to find alternatives for the transit sites.

The decision to withdraw the planning applications was taken by the county solicitor in consultation with leaders of the council's all-party administration.

It is inevitable that we need one or two sites somewhere in the county Councillor Des Sadrick

It followed meetings organised by residents in the proposed areas and attended by hundreds of locals opposed to the plans.

Devon County Council said it is acting to stop the growth in the number of illegal sites. The county has seen a 60% rise in them over the past couple of years, it said.

Councillor Des Sadrick said: "It is inevitable that we need one or two sites somewhere in the county to deal with a growing problem. It's got to happen."

Protesting residents have complained most about damage and mess, which is often left behind on sites. But travellers' representatives said this was not always the case.

Joe Brown of the Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition said: "Where sites are provided in a structured and planned way, they can integrate very well into local communities.

"Local residents, in time, accept that Gypsies and travellers are part of the community in the same way that any other ethnic minority is part of the community."