West Berkshire Council is mobilising three departments to supervise the event, when thousands of gypsies descend on the quiet hamlet of Enborne for August Bank Holiday.

Police are also preparing to deploy extra resources, even though officers will be stretched by the Reading rock festival the same weekend.

According to internal council documents, a traffic plan, rubbish monitoring, and health and safety supervision will all be laid on for farmer Nigel Butler’s evangelical gathering. Illegal camps set up on route to the event will also have to be cleared.

As the event is on private land, no licence is required, while council lawyers reckon an injunction would fail – despite pleas by Enborne Parish Council to do so.

West Berkshire’s head of public protection John Parfitt briefed councillors recently, saying: “The situation with which we are faced is most unsatisfactory, and we can understand why local residents feel let down that no one can prevent this event from taking place. In the circumstances, all the police and we can do is to try and manage the consequences to minimise them.”

When 6,000 travellers arrived in Newbury for the previous festival three years ago, there were reports of pubs being smashed up, damage to neighbouring property, widespread thieving, and anti social behaviour. However, police statistics show that crime actually went down during the week of the event.

Mr Parfitt told colleagues: “This may have been because many residents felt that it was pointless to report incidents as the perpetrators had long since gone.”

The Lock Stock & Barrel, Snooty Fox, Craven Arms have all said they will close for Bank Holiday weekend, however landlords and police are discussing a scheme to give regulars ID cards during the event. Plans will be discussed again on Monday.

Taxpayers’ will also be landed with a large bill for the extra police and council officials on duty for this year’s event, with crowds as high as 9,000 predicted.