Essex Police have yet to be promised Government help to fund policing of the eviction of travellers from their Crays Hill camp – even though it could cost as much as £10.5million.

Essex Police Authority’s finance and audit committee has been told Home Office Minister Nick Herbert wanted the force to consider footing the bill itself.

So far Essex Police have set aside about £3million for the Dale Farm evictions, expecting the rest to come from Whitehall.

Senior officers say policing eight weeks of evictions and protests could cost as much as £10.5million – on top of the £8million Basildon Council has earmarked for the process.

The minister’s request was passed to a closed meeting of the police authority committee. In response members are believed to have agreed to set aside as much as £5million and to ask the Home Office to match it.

A police authority spokes-man refused to comment on the meeting, but a source close to those planning the evictions said: “It was basically decided negotiations with the Home Office would continue.

“At the moment, there has been no commitment from the Government.

“The minister has asked the police to reassess its budget to see if they could fund the whole operation. It’s not a good time to be asking for funding because of the cuts.”

Police authority chairman Robert Chambers and Chief Constable Jim Barker-McCardle, have already warned constituency MP John Baron the policing of the evictions might be scaled down if Government funding were not available.