Dale Farm's representative in Brussels Patrick Egan met today (1pm) at the European Parliament with East Anglia MEP Richard Howitt to discuss possible ways to meet the crisis faced by the 90 families on the estate at present under threat of eviction.

Basildon Borough Council has issued a final Notice to some 350 residents requiring them to vacate their homes by midnight on 31 August or face a forced clearance by Constant & Co baliffs.

The cost of the operation, the largest ever undertaken against Gypsies in the UK, could cost as much as £18.5 million, including £10 million for the policing side of what may be a three-week undertaking.

The UK Government, through the Home Office and Department for Communities and Local Government, has agreed to provide funding of up to £6 million.

It appears to have ignored pleas from two UN bodies, and a Council of Europe investigation, to postpone the eviction until acceptable alternative accommodation can be made available.

Amnesty International is also intervening.

The DFRA and Gypsy Council have submitted two planning applications to develope caravan parks on land owned by the Homes and Communities Agency, which has been offered to Basildon for this purpose.