TRESPASS by travellers would be made a criminal offence under a Tory government, party leader Michael Howard said yesterday.

He said the measure - part of a crackdown on illegal encampments - was designed to end the abuse of planning law by a small minority of travellers.

His proposals were greeted with scorn by Labour, whose election co-ordinator, Darlington MP Alan Milburn, accused him of "riding shotgun on the latest bandwagon to roll into town".

But Mr Howard said: "It's about standing up for the right values."

The row comes amid a furore over cases in which travellers and gipsies have moved on to land, illegally installed facilities, then applied for retrospective planning permission.

The Tories' plans for tackling the problem includes:

* Reviewing or repealing the Human Rights Act, to prevent evictions being blocked on the grounds that they breach travellers' rights to family life;

* Allowing councils to refuse applications for retrospective planning permission where the law has knowingly been broken;

* Making intentional trespass a criminal offence;

* Extending council powers of compulsory purchase to protect local residents from being forced to buy land in order to avoid the threat of an illegal encampment;

* Powers to enforce the rapid clearance of sites;

* Better guidance for police and councils;

* Giving local people more say on site location.

Meanwhile, government figures suggest that Darlington and Gateshead are the region's only authorities with a serious problem with illegal camps. There were 70 caravans parked at unauthorised sites in Darlington during the last count, in July last year, with 39 in Gateshead.

In contrast, County Durham is leading the way in building official sites.

There were 138 caravans at six authorised council camps - and only one in an illegal location.

Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Newcastle and Sunderland reported no problems with unauthorised sites.

Across North Yorkshire, there were 35 caravans on illegal sites, with 192 on authorised sites.

Of the 35, 17 were in Hambleton and 12 in Harrogate. Ryedale cut its total of unauthorised caravans to zero from 22 the previous year.

The leader of Durham County Council, Ken Manton, said: "I would like people to be more tolerant and let these people live in the way they have done for generations."

But campaigners have been angered by the county's proposals, such as improving existing sites and a possible new site.

Mike Gibson, of Defending Our Village Environment, in Sedgefield, said: "We feel Durham County Council is giving more consideration to the minority than majority who live in settled communities."

Millionaire property developer Len Gridley, whose home overlooks a travellers' site at Crays Hill, Essex, claims he has bought land in Tony Blair's Sedgefield constituency and in Hull, which is represented by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

He says that unless the Government solves the problem, he will create traveller sites in both constituencies.

"If Michael Howard gets in and he does not do something about it, I shall do the same thing to him," he said.