A construction tycoon who ordered more than 100 lorry loads of building materials before the May Bank Holiday has been linked to a ‘traveller land grab’ that saw a wildlife haven bulldozed.

Karl Kavanagh, 48, owns Hampshire-based KK Construction, which boasts of offering a ‘full range’ of building services, from groundworks and driveways to home extensions.

In May he posted on a commercial Facebook group that he needed more than 100 lorry loads of aggregate to be delivered to developments in Horley, Surrey, and Horsham, West Sussex, ahead of the Bank Holiday.

At the time, he said he did not know where the loads would be used but could not rule out that they would end up on traveller sites.

But the Mail can now reveal that vehicles owned by his firm were seen over the August Bank Holiday at Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire, where diggers and workers descended on a field on Friday after council officials went home.

Furious residents set up a protest camp as tarmac was laid and fences put up without planning permission.

An emergency High Court order was issued at 10.30pm on Saturday, temporarily preventing any further development of the site or occupation by caravans.

But construction work continued on Sunday and into Monday morning, as hundreds of residents staged peaceful protests near the site.

The council then returned to court and secured a strengthened injunction, including powers of arrest for anyone who breached it, which was served on those occupying the land on Monday.

Footage shows residents cheering as Mr Kavanagh's machinery was finally driven away from the site.

Following his appeal for aggregate he made another post the next day, saying tipper lorries were needed in Horsham, West Sussex, from Saturday to Monday at £200 a load.

At the time, Mr Kavanagh claimed not to know what the material was for.

He said: 'I'm a subcontractor. I don't know what it's for. I'm just trying to organise it for a main contractor we do a lot of building work for. I was just asked to put up the posts as a registered building company.'

He said he could not rule out the loads being destined for traveller sites, as some firms would be willing to provide the materials 'if money was involved'. He refused to provide contact details for the main contractor.

Horsham Council and Reigate and Banstead Council were alerted to the posts, with the latter launching an immediate investigation.

There was no apparent development in the Horley area over the weekend in question. But at nearby West Chiltington in West Sussex, heavy machinery moved onto a field on Friday.

Work continued throughout the weekend and, despite the presence of both council officers and police, a caravan site was developed near the world-renowned Nyetimber sparkling wine estate.

Mr Kavanagh could not be conclusively linked to the unauthorised development at West Chiltington. And when he was asked about the site in Sawbridgeworth, he initially claimed not to know his vans were there.

After being informed that he had been pictured at the site, he declined to make any further comment.

The developments follow a trend that has seen travellers swoop in to lay pitches on the Friday night before Bank Holiday weekends.

This gives unscrupulous developers near free rein to do what they like until Tuesday morning, by which time concrete has often been laid and caravans moved in.

Planning permission is then sought retrospectively, prompting a lengthy and costly legal process.

KK Construction has an active social media page which regularly shows photos of projects it has completed across the South East, alongside glowing testimonials from customers.

Mr Kavanagh is a director of 15 other active companies involved in construction or property development. Most give the registered office address as a detached bungalow that sold for £530,000 early last year.

East Herts Council said of the situation in Sawbridgeworth: 'We will continue to work closely with Hertfordshire Police and our other partners to monitor the site and prevent any further unauthorised works.'