This is the moment a furious man living in a converted horse box clashes with a local in Bristol. The man can be heard turning on a woman who says he shouldn't be living on open parkland in the city. He says: "Why shouldn't I? What's it got to do with you?" The woman then says "attitude", provoking the man to shout: "No! It's called standing up for rights."

Tempers flared during a BBC report from Clifton Down, where scores of people have been living in vans, caravans and motor homes on roads running by the green space. Some locals want the so-called van dwellers to leave, claiming a minority dispose of toilet waste down drains, in gardens and bushes.

Van dwellers give various reasons for living as they do. Some see it as a lifestyle choice while others say Bristol's sky-high rents, housing costs and the cost-of-living mean they have no alternative. There are also those who live with specific vulnerabilities.

Locals have set up a group on Facebook called "Protect the Downs", which is run by former RAF serviceman Tony Nelson, according to the BBC.

He told the broadcaster that the few "responsible" van dwellers are "fine" and have never been a problem, but claims that's not the case for all of them.

Locals have alleged drug use, possible human trafficking and prostitution. Mr Nelson said: "This used to be famous across the country.

"I'd heard of the Bristol Downs when I was living in East Anglia so I know it was once a treasured place. Now it's become a sink."

Van dweller Danny, who only gave his first name, said some posts in the Facebook group were "absolutely ludicrous" and bordered on hate crime. He told the BBC has has paid £35,000 in business rates over the years via arts and events companies he has run.

There are an estimated 680 vehicles used as homes across Bristol, on roadsides, private land, squatted encampments and at council run "meanwhile" sites, which offer access to water, loos and waste disposal.

Bristol City Council has said it recognises the situation is "complex" and it is drawing up plans to support van dwellers and address locals' needs.

A meeting to discuss the issue was organised by the Sneyd Park Residents Association earlier this year. It packed out St Alban's Church in nearby Redland.

It followed publication of a report on the city’s van-dwelling community which suggested the number of people living in vehicles has quadrupled since before the Covid pandemic. The number was about 150 in 2019.

When the Express visited the Downs, locals suggested more affordable homes and social housing were needed in the city. Others called for "strong-arm tactics" to "get rid" of them.

Danny told the BBC: "They will never get rid of us. They can do whatever they like, but people have lived on that road for years and years."

Cllr Barry Parsons, who chairs the council's Homes and Housing Delivery Committee, told the Express in March: "We know that we need to reduce the need for so many people to live in vehicles, and remain committed to increasing the number of well-built, affordable homes in Bristol so people have a safe and secure place they can call home."