Councillors have agreed to expand a travellers' camp -just seven years after fighting against the development.

The Watson family, of the Oaklands, in Bedmond, was granted permission by Three Rivers District Council to increase the number of caravans on their site from 18 to 24.

The council's development control committee, which met on Thursday night, agreed to lift two legal restrictions: one limiting the number of caravans and another preventing friends and non family members from staying at the site.

Both were imposed in 2003 when an original planning application for eight caravans at the site - rejected by the council the previous year - was granted at appeal.

The council's apparent change-of-heart is justified, it argues, by a controversial government order demanding it provides 15 new gipsy and traveller pitches by 2011.

A council report read: “The requirement for general need to provide accommodation for gypsies and travellers in Three Rivers is so pressing that this is considered to outweigh personal circumstances.

“As this is an existing authorised site that has the capacity to have further pitches, it is considered appropriate to increase accommodation on an existing site despite its Green belt location in contributing towards meeting the needs of the district.”

Three Rivers District ward councillor for Bedmond Joy Mann said the site has been "extremely" well managed by the Watson family.

Councillor Mann said: "The site is well screened and we have had no problems with the family or complaints. "We know the Watson family will continue to care for the site."