Pineridge park in Finchampstead has 29 homes but 22 of them have been erected without proper planning permission.

Now the families that have lived there for five years are being told that they will be evicted in June.

A lot of the residents are vulnerable. Some have young children and others have fled domestic abuse.

One woman who asked to remain anonymous in case her ex-partner finds her said: “Some of the young girls are saying their children are going to be taken away from her and put into care.

“We are not travellers. The borough council want us off but they don’t want Wokingham to be tarnished in any way.

“We might have to squat here to be fair. We don’t know where to go. The reality is the borough council can’t help. They have got no houses. They have got nothing.” The 22 mobile homes and associated hard standing facilities were erected five years ago.

A retrospective planning application for the site was turned down because planners feared the development would damage the countryside surroundings.

After this a planning enforcement notice was served on the landlord. The enforcement notice, asking for the site to be returned to it’s previous condition, was appealed to the planning inspectorate although it was not successful.

The inspector said the site had some merit in meeting housing needs in the borough – where the average house requires a deposit of £70,000 – but this did not outweigh national legislation or the damage to the environment.

Councillor John Kaiser, executive member for planning and highways, said the council’s housing team would talk to each resident to look at their individual options.

He said: “We do, wherever possible, work with people to help provide affordable homes in the borough. But we have to safeguard the existing community and environment. Planning rules are there for a reason, and we cannot turn a blind eye to their non-compliance “We have a number of instances where people have rented out properties knowing that they shouldn’t – and I feel extremely sorry for their residents. This renting is unlawful and has resulted in these residents losing their homes.”