TWO people are being questioned by police after allegations that a mechanical digger was driven at a caravan where children were asleep and tried to tip it over.

Patricia Goodwin, who was in the caravan at a Blackrod farm with her boyfriend David Yates and two children, Rosie, aged two, and Fae, six, said: "We could have been killed.

"We were woken when the caravan began to shake. When we realised that a JCB was trying to tip us over, the kids went hysterical.

"I tried to get them out through the door but the JCB came at us. In the end my boyfriend managed to stop him. I just can't believe this has happened."

The travellers claim the man then went on to wreak further havoc on their possessions. "A car that was being renovated was knocked over and most of the children's toys trashed," claims Patricia.

Another traveller, Ros Hoy, claims that a woman then attacked David Yates by punching him in the face and then took the travellers' horse Prince to the farmyard gate and let him loose on Dark Lane.

Ros said: "I had to run to get him back. I dread to think what would have happened if a car had been going along the road."

According to Ros, travellers have used the land on Crowshaw Farm, Dark Lane, for more than 12 years.

Ros claims the five families living on the land pay rent to the farmer and the arrangement is legal. Most of the families have lived at the farm for more than a year, he said. Last week the travellers say they received a notice from Bolton council to quit the land as the caravans are contravening planning regulations.

They have until May 24 to appeal. If they do not appeal they still have three months in which to vacate the land, they say.

A police spokesman confirmed that a man and a woman were being questioned in connection with the incident.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.