16:50 Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart is having to decide whether the injunction should be continued further and said today he hopes to give his decision on Monday.

Sitting at London's High Court, he said: "This is a very difficult area and I can quite assure everyone I am giving it the most anxious consideration."

16:34: Judge has said the injunction will stay in place until 4pm on Monday while he makes his decision.

16:00: Hearing that Basildon Council only started giving their evidence about 3.30pm. Judge says he may keep injunction in place until at least 4pm on Monday.

15:15: Five sisters who live at Dale Farm donned identical short-sleeved blouses to show "solidarity" at today's hearing.

The McCarthy sisters - Joanna, 38, Tina, 40, Margaret, 46, Kathleen, 50, and Marie, 55 - wore blue and pink floral-patterned tops as they sat in the front row of Court 4.

Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart congratulated the "ladies for their lovely turnout" and added: "It is very nice to see somebody brightening up the court."

14:55: The possibility of the long-running battle over the future of the UK's largest illegal travellers' site in Essex being settled quickly has been put in doubt at the High Court.

A judge was told more legal challenges were being launched as he considered whether to extend an injunction preventing Basildon Council from clearing the Dale Farm site.

14:25 Reports saying the hearing into Dale Farm will carry on into next week. The case against the last-minute injuction granted on Monday (19th) is postponed until this Monday.

14:20: In addition to today's legal action, it emerged that at least two applications for judicial review are planned as part of the campaign to stop the evictions of travellers.

If they go ahead, the applications could add thousands of pounds more to the already huge legal bill generated by the Dale Farm saga.

12:25: Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart said it would be a "different matter" if there was a "genuine reason" why enforcement of eviction notices should not go ahead.

He said travellers living illegally on the site should be treated with dignity and any evictions carried out "in a sensitive and sensible way".

The court heard that travellers had launched two legal actions. Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart said he would hear arguments relating to both actions.

He said the first action related to questions about whether the council was acting in accordance with the terms of enforcement notices issued to travellers at Dale Farm.

The second called for a review of the validity of enforcement notices.

12:20: At the start of today's hearing, Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart said "planning avenues" had been exhausted and told the court that litigation could not be viewed as "yet another springboard for delay".

He said the council had spent "substantial physical and financial resources" and courts had a duty to make sure that "valuable resources" were not wasted.

The judge said he would not grant a "long stay of execution" to allow "minor squabbles" to be settled.

12:15: Reports say Judge in Dale Farm eviction hearing says he may reserve judgment till after weekend. No decision yet.

12.10: Reports from the High Court say Judge says: "These matters have got to be put to bed sooner rather than later"

11.50:THE Legal Service Commission has denied it is funding the two Dale Farm court cases on Friday. The Government body, which provides legal aid, responded to reports that the cases today were being funded by the taxpayer. A spokesman said: “An application has been made for funding in respect of the first case, but no decision has yet been made. We have no details yet about the second case yet.”

11.42:Nora Sheridan, who lives on Dale Farm, said before the start of today's hearing: "We're just keeping our fingers crossed - praying for a good result. We don't know what's going to happen."

11.40:Travellers fighting to stay on an illegal site were "praying for a good result" prior to the latest round of a court battle today.