NEW Road common land protestor Jeff Hayton returned to the controversial spot in Kendal on Tuesday.

Despite having been evicted for setting up camp in a tent and leaving a caravan on the land, Mr Hayton returned with a construction he described as a 'chicken coop'.

Mr Hayton had previously vowed to 'fight on' in his battle against South Lakeland District Council's decision to close the land to cars.

He claimed the 'chicken coop' did not contravene any of the bye-laws on the common land, so SLDC would not be able to remove him.

By Wednesday morning, however, there was nothing remaining of the camp with SLDC saying a fire had destroyed what was there.

"The camp set on fire," said a spokesperson. "Our streets team went down to sweep the area and no action will be taken."