SUSSEX activist Marina Pepper climbed scaffolding at Dale Farm in Essex yesterday.

The former mayor of Telscombe Cliffs joined protesters at the site near Basildon as the planned eviction of the UK’s largest illegal travellers’ site got under way.

She gave a speech to bailiffs. She said: “This is their home. They have nowhere to go. You are evicting them for money. Why is there money for your cruel jobs when there is nothing for schools and hospitals?

“I don’t know how you will sleep well tonight.”

One protester was Tasered and seven people were arrested in clashes with bailiffs and riot police.

Officers in riot gear entered Dale Farm after breaking down a rear fence just after 7am, prompting angry confrontations.

The move came as police and bailiffs held discussions, described by supporters as a distraction, at the main gate.