A Hampshire family of gypsies has vowed to continue its fight to remain on land in Swanmore, in spite of losing a planning appeal.

The Hughes family appealed against Winchester City Council enforcement notices in respect of land the family own near Buena Vista, at The Lakes.

The authority said the Hughes had turned the area into a gypsy site without permission and government inspector, Graham Bailey, agreed with the council.

His decision, from the public inquiry in May, means the family have 18 months to remove five mobile homes and five touring caravans from the site, along with all associated toilet and shower structures, metal fencing, and reinstate the land to rough grazing.

Father, Edward Hughes (61), describing the decision as a "disgrace", said: "Everything's got to come off, but we'll be taking it to the High Court. I was expecting a temporary licence to see how we carried on. I'm very upset and all the kids are upset."

The inquiry heard how the family, which includes 17 children, had bought the land more than two years ago after leaving the county council site at Tynefield, near Wickham, where there had been disputes with other families, but had not informed the city council of their site plans.

Representing them, Nigel Hecks also informed the inspector that there was a lack of provision for gypsy facilities across the county and said if the family lost the appeal, they would be forced back on the road.

But Brian Crooks, representing the city council, said any development at The Lakes was restricted because of its location in a "local gap" of undeveloped land. The site was "intensely" developed, out-of-keeping with the surrounding area and "intrusive" to the rural setting.

In his report, Mr Bailey says: "I can understand the reasons that might have compelled Mr Hughes and others of his family from moving from Tynefield. But they should have known before they came to the site, had they made the appropriate enquiries of the council, that this was a designated Local Gap in which the location of a caravan site was directly contrary to a policy of the adopted development plan. Nevertheless, they went ahead and created the present caravan site."

"In total, I do not believe the strength of the appellant's case would carry such weight as to overcome the greater harm arising to the countryside and the absence of securing provision for meeting future public recreational needs."

Speaking from the site after the result, Edward Hughes, who said he had travelled all round Hampshire throughout his life, added: "There's nowhere to go. They won't give us a site because there's nowhere for them to give us." If we go back on the road, we'll be living outside with the kids, with no toilets.

He added that because they had no fixed address, it would be impossible to tax or insure the vehicles and claimed the family paid £600 a month council tax.