COUNCILS have been left stunned after a bid to ban caravans from Clacton seafront during the town’s airshow spectacular was rejected.

Tendring Council and Essex County Council were hoping to ban caravans and campervans from Marine Parade West during the crowd-pulling extravaganza.

High Court injunctions have been granted for each of the past three years after travellers pitched up along the seafront ahead of the airshow and caused major problems in 2012.

Council lawyers pulled out all the stops in a bid to secure another injunction this year.

They even argued it was a matter of national security and would boost public safety following recent terror attacks across Europe.

But their bid has been rejected by a High Court judge.

Mr Justice Knowles accused the council of using the public safety argument as a ploy to target travellers.

He said: “An application truly based on requirements for the prevention of terrorism would of course stand on a wholly different footing.

"But this is not such an application.”

He said the national security issue had only been raised as an afterthought and the real concern was event parking and disruption from travellers.

The judge also emphasised that travellers have rights and arrangements have to be made to accommodate their way of life.

Council lawyers argued that they dealt with travellers fairly across the district and had respect for their rights.

But the judge said he was not convinced there were enough places for travellers to pitch up during the airshow and an injunction would unfairly target them.

Disappointed Tendring Council cabinet spokesman Paul Honeywood said: “This was not the outcome we were hoping for – or expecting – and we are now speaking with our legal team about the possibility of appealing against the judge’s decision last week.

“However, we also have alternative plans in the pipeline that we will employ to deal with the situation should it become necessary to do so.”

The airshow is the biggest event on the Clacton calendar, drawing more than 200,000 spectators each year and bringing in millions of pounds to the town’s economy.

Previous injunctions have been granted after problems with fly-tipping, graffiti, criminal damage and vandalism, leading to arrests in 2012.

Mr Honeywood added: “We first went for an injunction in 2013 after travellers turned up along the seafront at the site of the airshow the previous year and caused a serious number of issues in the run-up to the event.

“It is extremely important to many businesses in Clacton and Tendring that the airshow goes ahead smoothly and without disruption.”

Police have powers to move trespassers on through section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, but have been reluctant to use them across the county.

District commander Russ Cole would not be drawn on whether his officers would use section 61 powers to safeguard the airshow, but said police would work hard to make sure the event is not disrupted.

“We will continue to work with Tendring Council and support them if they make an appeal,” he said.

“The injunction has been hugely valuable to the council and to us in providing a preventative measure and stopping disruption.

“Every year the airshow provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase our coastline, town and community and that must be allowed to continue.

“We aspire to do what we can to make it safer with the minimum disruption possible, and any infringing on laws will be clamped down on to ensure the smooth running of the show.”