About 30 travellers moved to the site three years ago

A group camped illegally on a beauty spot near Exeter was told last Friday it faced eviction from the site it has been at for three years.

The group at Haldon Hill is now being told it can stay because there are not any official sites for it to move to.

Devon County Council said it was in talks about another possible traveller camp somewhere in Devon, but was not prepared to say where it would be.

It's really time they moved on Mike Selby-Heard, Shillingford Parish Council

About 30 travellers have been living on the illegal site at the Haldon site for about three years.

Devon County Council said it would start moves to evict the camp if local councillor Brian Berman did not object.

But on Monday he told the BBC he did because he believed the council must first find an alternative site for it.

Mr Berman said: "You can't suddenly say 'you've got to move'. That's moving the failure of the county council to find a site to the travellers."

But this delay has angered members of nearby parish councils.

Mike Selby-Heard, chairman of Shillingford Parish Council, said: "They are occupying an Area of Outstand Natural Beauty which is next to a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It's really time they moved on."

Traveller Claire Storey said members of the camp were keen to stay.

Site discussions

She said: "If we were left here, it would be ideal. We've got no neighbours, people can still come and visit the area, and we've done what the council has asked us to about not moving into the woods."

Des Shadrick, who is responsible for gypsy and traveller policy at the county council, said: "We said that we would tolerate the Haldon site on an interim bases and clearly we have done that.

"Unless we provide official transit sites to which we can relocate travellers occupying illegal sites, the council is in some difficulties."

Devon County Council had drawn up plans for transit sites near Shillingford Abbot, Ipplepen, Denbury and Fremington, but withdrew them all in December following fierce opposition from local residents.