YABADABADON'T! That's the message to travellers not to invade Clifton Moor, York, with their caravans.

It was clubbed home for Michael Stampfer, owner manager of Suomi Print and Design in Lysander Close by his Barney Rubble lookalike, trainee printer Richard Barratt.

The warning was issued as 100 burly keep-out boulders were dropped in strategic places all over the area by landlords British Land after a final showdown with travellers.

The boulder-drop created a moonscape so rubbly and primitive that even Mr Stampfer and his fellow businessmen, who have complained about travellers' caravans in the past, have now renamed Lysander Close "Bedrock".

And Mr Stampfer has not only adopted Fred Flintstone's town-name, but also gave Richard the garb of the stone-age cartoon Fred's best pal.

Mr Stampfer said: "The transformation of the landscape is terrible. On one afternoon gardeners were carefully trimming the lawn edges; on the next the lawns were being bulldozed to make way for the boulders.

"But, on balance, I prefer to have it this way to having our car parks invaded by caravans. Rocks don't commit crimes and smear excrement on your office windows."

The bulldozers and JCBs were sent on to many of the 110 Clifton Moor properties owned by British Land to drop 1.5 tonne boulders at strategic points to keep travellers out.

While the contractors were at Lysander Close travellers moved their caravans on to the site. JCBs are said to have borne down on the caravans, which left hurriedly to the cheers of onlookers who work on the mini business park.

Michael Lewis, of surveyors Conrad Ritplat, which represents British Land, said: "After more than a dozen court injunctions to eject travellers from our land, we are hoping these boulders on what were our grassed areas will do the trick.

The entrances to our business estates will be equipped with telescopic barriers and our security staff will be on hand 24 hours a day to let authorised people enter or leave out of hours.

"I appreciate it's not ideal, but of three different schemes tendered this was the cheapest and most effective.

The dearest, which involved steel bollards, would have cost £750,000."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.