A GROUP of travellers have pitched up at a parish council-owned site in Parkeston.

The travellers have been moving across the area over the last week.

Five tents and vehicles were first reported in a Brightlingsea car park, before moving onto the Low Road recreation ground in Dovercourt.

Vehicle access is blocked from the field, but Tendring Council discovered a wooden post had been removed from the ground.

It is believed that is how the travellers managed to get their vehicles onto the field.

Essex Countywide Traveller Unit served them with a notice to leave the field, forcing them to move within 24 hours.

The travellers moved on – but did not get far.

They have now set up camp at the Jubilee Park end of Garland Road, on a field owned by Ramsey and Parkeston Parish Council.

It was quickly reported by the parish council and the countywide traveller unit was sent to see them again.

Unit officers visited the site yesterday to serve another direction to leave to the travellers, giving them another 24 hours.

If they do not leave the land within that 24-hour time limit, the traveller unit will look to take court action.

Earlier this week Tendring Council said it feared it would be caught in another game of “cat and mouse”.

Council housing boss Paul Honeywood said: “It appears to be as we feared that they will move from site to site.

“We will have to follow them and we will then go through the correct legal processes to have them evicted each time.

“I want to assure residents that we are doing what we can – as quickly as we can – but we do need to follow the right procedures if we are to be successful.”

The council has become experienced at the traveller ‘cat and mouse’ game after being forced to chase various groups around the district, this summer and in previous years.

It pays a set fee to the Essex Countywide Traveller Unit each year to deal with the evictions.

In each case the unit delivers a notice to leave for the site. If that is ignored they will ask for a court summons.

Travellers typically leave the site just before the court date.