A FURIOUS Bridport man says his land was earmarked as a gypsy site without his knowledge.

Rowlie Moores, of Lilac Farm, near Walditch, returned from a trip to France to find his land listed by the council as a potential site for travellers.

He claims it is the second time his land has been suggested for development without his knowledge.

The first was last year when it was put down as a possible site for Bridport’s waste transfer station.

Councils in Dorset have joined forces to identify potential permanent and transit sites for gypsies and travellers for the next 15 years.

They are drawing up a Development Plan Document for consultation this autumn.

Consultants Baker Associates included Lilac Farm with three pitches on a draft list.

Now the farm is likely to be deleted from the list after Mr Moores’s friend and neighbour Peter Dunn stepped in to help out.

The row comes after Mr Moores was in a planning dispute with West Dorset District Council planners over a hay barn, which they said was detrimental to visual amenity.

Mr Moores said he finds this ironic given the suggestions for a waste transfer station and gypsy plots on his land.

“I have phone calls already from people who think I am doing this because I can’t have my barn.

“They think I am doing it out of spite.

“It hasn’t helped neighbourly relations at all.

“The whole point is that once again it has been reported before I knew anything about it and people are now looking at me as though I am the baddie.

“It is outrageous. It has been removed now but the damage has been done.”

Mr Moores said that he was also concerned that the value of his and neighbours properties may be affected.

Neighbour Mr Dunn said: “Since news of the council’s plans were published, Rowlie Moores has endured several abusive calls accusing him of agreeing to hand over his farm as a gypsy camp in retaliation for the three years of action taken against him by West Dorset District Council officers over planning permission for his hay barn.

“This is absolute rubbish.

“The truth is that Rowlie has complied in every way to meet WDDC’s concerns about Lilac Farm, including the sale and removal of a number of shipping containers he used to protect his collection of historic vehicles.”

A spokesman for the council said that Bakers Associates tried to contact Mr Moores several times but had no response.

He added: “I can confirm that Lilac Farm has been removed from the list.

“The owner has contacted us to confirm that the site is not available.”