Travelling families fighting to stay in Chessington are arguing for more traveller sites to be made available in Kingston.

Michael Casey and his brother-in-law, Simon Doherty, are appealing against Kingston Council's decision to move them, their 11 children and six caravans from Green Lane, where they have been living since Mr Casey bought the land a year ago.

Around 20 of their neighbours packed into a three day public inquiry last week to lodge their objections against living next to the family permanently.

They said the travellers are noisy, disruptive and have destroyed green belt land.

But Mr Casey and Mr Doherty said they had followed the Government's ruling for travellers by finding their own land. He added there were no plans to bring more caravans to the site.

The council refused planning permission for the land to be used as a caravan site last year and building work on a bathroom block was halted. The families are applying for retrospective planning permission to stay there. If the appeal is lost, they may have to leave.

Mr Casey, 36, a builder, said: "I've been living around Kingston for 22 years. We just want to get on with our lives and bring our children up like everyone else."

The families' agent Michael Cox said: "The council should have carried out a proper assessment of sites for travellers in the borough apart from the one overcrowded site, there isn't anywhere for them to go."

David Fellows, deputy head of legal services at Kingston Council, accepted there was no traveller accommodation available for the two families. The borough's only designated traveller site in Swallow Park, Tolworth, is currently full.

Neighbour Lionel Marshall, 67, of Green Lane, said: "We would never have bought this house if we knew the travellers would come. Their caravans overlook my lounge, they throw litter over the fence and you can hear their cars coming and going all day. We've heard about their humanitarian issues what about ours?"

Advocate Miss Thomas, arguing for the neighbours, suggested the inspector be mindful of the fear the neighbours had of the travellers irrespective of whether or not there was any real basis for it.

The inquiry is to resume on May 24. A decision is expected by the end of July.

rclifford@london.newsquest.co.uk