MEMBERS of an action group were shocked to find plots of green belt land in their village for sale on the internet as potential development sites.

Theydon Bois Action Group (TBAG) discovered the advertisement on websites The Move Channel and Emerging Property Partners (EPP) where individual sites were being sold from £11,500.

The group fear that up to 3,500 new homes could be built on the land at Blunts Farm which would increase the size of the village by nearly 200 per cent.

EPP states on the website that Theydon Bois has been earmarked by the government as an area which requires an additional 3,500 homes to be built and adds: “EPP believe that this high profile site will therefore in the near future be granted planning permission for a variety of leisure facilities as well as major housing projects and believe it offers interested parties the chance to own part of this future development.”

The Move Channel advertised the land as an investment opportunity adding: “The adage of location, location, location definitely applies to this site, combine that with the housing shortage in the South East, the government pin pointing Theydon Bois for 3,500 new homes and the 2012 Olympic affect this all adds up to an investment opportunity rarely seen in this sector.”

But TBAG has warned that information on the prospectus is incorrect, and Trading Standards has been informed.

A spokeswoman for TBAG said: “We believe that investors are being misled by the number of glaring inaccuracies in the EPP prospectus, including inaccurate facts that have been included and some that have been omitted.

"One important fact that has been omitted is that the land is subject of Enforcement Notices."

The owner of the land Phil Newman was recently forced to remove waste illegally dumped on the site since 2003 and has until October this year to repair the damage.

He said he wanted to get rid of the land and had put up notices in the area advertising it for sale.

He added: “I advertised it by the tube station and a company bough six acres off me and someone else wants to buy another six acres. There are a lot of people interested.

"It's free land for anyone to buy so if anyone from TBAG is interested in buying it they should get in touch.”

A spokeswoman from the District Council said: The land shown is still in the green belt, the means of access are uncertain, and Epping Forest District Council has made no commitment to allocating this land for residential purposes in the future."