Rules that would have obliged Westcountry councils to provide 600 new pitches for gypsies and travellers have been torn up by the Government.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has confirmed that he is revoking the "planning circulars" issued by the former Labour government, which set out strict requirements for town halls on the provision of land for gypsies.

It would have meant 300 residential pitches had to be found in Devon over the next 15 years, along with 63 transient pitches. In Cornwall, the figure was 220.

Mr Pickles is also looking at ways of increasing local authority powers to tackle unauthorised encampments, which are a source of major community tensions in some areas.

At the same time, councils are to be offered financial incentives for developing authorised sites where possible. They will be included in a new-homes bonus scheme, under which councils will be paid for properties they allow to be built in their area.

Travellers on official sites are also to be given the same rights and responsibilities as residents of other mobile home sites, giving greater protection against eviction.

Mr Pickles said he wanted to "put fairness back into communities".

"Like the rest of the population, the majority of travellers are law-abiding citizens and they should have the same chance of having a safe place to live and bring up their children. These changes will put travellers who play by the rules on an equal footing.

"But at the same time, we will not sit back and allow people to bypass the planning rules that everyone else has to abide by."

Yesterday, the announcement drew mixed reactions in the Westcountry.

Jackie Bull, Cornwall councillor for the Bugle ward, said a site at Minorca Lane had around 400 people, many living on unauthorised pitches.

She said: "There's a feeling among the community that gypsies and travellers are able to develop land which is not available to local people.

"I welcome the news that local authorities will have more power to tackle illegal sites, but I do worry that if the obligation is taken away from councils to create official sites, there may be a concentration in one place, rather than a fair spread across the county."

She said councils should be encouraged to play a role in ensuring high standards were maintained at official sites.

Mrs Bull's fears on location are echoed by Equality South West, which has warned that scrapping the planning obligation will mean that more unauthorised sites crop up.

Mike Norman, chairman of Clyst St George Parish Council, near Exeter, said gypsies had blighted the village green for too long. He said they have permanent winter residences elsewhere, and questioned why councils should be given incentives to find permanent pitches for them.

But Hughie Smith, president of the Gypsy Council, condemned his comments.

He has called on the Government to open up disused land, such as former Ministry of Defence sites, for gypsies to buy and run themselves.