CARAVANS have been coming and going as travellers set up camp in Brentwood.

On Saturday morning, seven caravans arrived at Warley Playing fields, after leaving the Brentwood Centre the night before.

After leaving the Brentwood Centre, the council had to issue them with black bags for rubbish that had been left behind, just a week before the Brentwood Festival was due to take place.

Alex Clarke, 30, from Brentwood, said he was fed up with travellers. He said: “I have had enough, something more needs to be done.

“The council needs to do more to make sure travellers don’t keep coming into our neighbourhood and taking over our parks, fields and car parks.

“I have seen them at Warley Playing Fields and it means residents that live there don’t feel safe being there. It’s a shame really because there is a children’s play park there and they can’t use it.”

Nigel Clarke, councillor for Warley, said something needed to be done. He said: “It’s not good for residents. It is a constant problem and they are just moving from pillar to post.

“Perhaps we need a transit camp so that we have more control and have more laws. But it’s like anything, there are good ones and bad ones.”

Jill Hubbard, councillor for the Warley ward said: “Residents and I alerted the town hall on Sunday when we saw the travellers on the playing fields and paperwork was drawn up on Monday.

“They didn’t leave so they were taken to court on Thursday morning and one only hopes they will move by the weekend. The thing is that it costs a huge amount to send bailiffs so you have to hope they leave before that.

“They do seem to want to hang around Brentwood. I believe they are the same group that were in Ingatestone. They do seem to be a more reasonable group compared to the ones who were at the Tower Arms pub.

“Historically, travellers have come to Warley, they have for hundreds of years. I believe we need to have a transit site in our local development plan.”

A council spokesman said: “The Government requires local authorities to plan more positively for new Gypsy and Traveller sites where it is shown that they are needed.

As a result, like most local authorities we are working to produce a Local Development Plan which will allocate sites to meet identified needs for the next 15 years.”