The travellers situation got not easier for the council amid further public pressure to protect parks.

By now, several parks had been camped upon including Ripon Park, Meadow Park, and Brook Meadow, and there were calls for Hertsmere Borough Council to take steps to stop caravans and vehicles from getting onto the land.

Meanwhile, a fraudster who ran a Ponzi scheme, was jailed for six years. Freddy David, of Hartfield Road in Elstree, swindled 55 people out of cash, including hsi friends, as part of a £14m scam.

There was a second march in Elstree as campaigners once again pleaded for action on the Reviva waste site, as their concerns about the smell of the site, failed to diminish over the year.