Controversial plans for two gipsy sites have been rejected.

Crawley Borough Council's executive met last night to debate proposals for traveller and gipsy sites to be built in the town.

Protesters against the plans packed out the 1,200-capacity sports hall at K2 Crawley.

The executive's eight members voted unanimously against allowing two gipsy sites - one permanent one at the Gas Holder site in Crawley Avenue and a temporary one at Rowley Farm, near James Watt Way.

This final decision followed a rowdy full council meeting last week which opposed the executive's previous decision to approve the sites.

The Argus reported how a row broke out when the Gipsy Council said the town would allow the sites "come hell or high water".

Security guards were recruited for last night's meeting in case there was any trouble but it passed peacefully.

The executive resolved that the council should continue to work with neighbouring authorities and other agencies to bring forward as a matter of urgency potential locations for traveller sites around Crawley.

It also resolved to make provision for the identification and provision of traveller sites in its Local Development Framework.

Councillor Chris Redmayne, chairman of the executive, said: "We need to be sure we come to the right decision. This is why it has taken us so long to come to this decision. The traveller problem will not go away. We will still have incursions.

"Travellers like to come to Crawley. People give them work. I have no problem with that.

"They have a right to a living. We have to find a site."

Earlier, Coun Redmayne told fellow executive members that next year the council will spend half a million pounds on site protection alone.

He said the council was also spending about £300,000 this year in clearing up travellers' mess, moving travellers on and dealing with them in the courts.

Tom Wordsworth, of Rowley Farm, said a gipsy site there would increase insurance costs for both the farm and retailers, causing shops to relocate and people to lose jobs.

He said the temporary nature of the proposed site would prevent a rapport between travellers and the rest of the community developing.

He also believed air traffic from Gatwick would be a health risk to travellers' children.

He said: "It would be bad for business, local people, go against council policy and endanger the lives of travellers' families."

Nick Twine, of Pound Hill North Residents' Association, said the Gas Holder site was inappropriate for travellers.

He said: "We need to find a solution but it doesn't lie in the very tight urban boundaries of our town."

One of the travellers, Mr MacCarther, said people were prejudiced and had classed travellers as dirt, thieves and robbers.

He said: "We want a place to call our home and put children to school, like any other ethnic minority in England, Scotland or Wales."