Police today revealed that the bloodbath at Willow Park travellers’ site in Suffolk was caused by an ”ongoing dispute”.
Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull, of Suffolk Constabulary, also confirmed that detectives are treating the shootings as a ”double murder”.
He said: ”We have arranged for extra patrols to be carried out by uniformed officers and our armed response vehicles around Beck Row and we are maintaining a high profile presence in the area.
”Clearly, the investigation is at an early stage – but we believe the deaths are connected to an ongoing dispute.
”I would urge anyone who has any information about this incident – or saw anything suspicious in the vicinity of Willow Park, to contact us immediately.”
Shocked villagers in Beck Row claim there is tense rivalry between Irish travellers living in Willow Park, where the two men were shot dead, and English travellers at Sandy Park caravan site less than 200m away.
A local builder said the killings could be a ”revenge attack” after horse stables at the Sandy Park site were recently torched.
He said: ”I know that if you wrong them they will wrong you. It could be a revenge attack after the stables were burned at the Sandy Lane site.
”Ever since they set up the sites there have been problems and they come round and steal anything they can from people’s gardens.”
A father-of-two, who lives near both sites, added: ”They are very territorial and I would say a family dispute or rivalry between the two camps is what led to this.”
There are around 20 traveller plots at the Willow Park site and around 35 at the neighbouring Sandy Park.
Police have not yet formally identified the two bodies.
