TRAVELLERS have been ordered to take their caravans elsewhere after they arrived unannounced at two sites in York.

Twenty families were given three days’ notice by City of York Council to leave Walmgate Stray, in Heslington, last weekend, but failed to do so.

The authority’s enforcement officers were yesterday given permission to remove them by magistrates sitting in the city.

Jan Catchpole, the council’s solicitor, told York Magistrates’ Court that complaints had come in about the encampment on Walmgate Stray.

Enforcement officers had visited the camp on Saturday, April 30, and agreed with the Travellers that they would leave by Wednesday this week.

When the caravans were still there on Wednesday, the camp was given a summons for people to appear at the magistrates’ court on Friday morning. When no-one arrived at court, and the caravans were still on the stray, magistrates granted the council’s request for the camp to be lawfully removed.

Residents living next to the site said the Travellers were a disturbance and they should not have been there.

Meanwhile, Travellers in caravans arrived in St George’s car park today. Police were called and the City of York Council has served a notice on them to leave the river-side car park.

One resident living nearby said: “This is a waste of valuable police time and a loss to the council as the car park cannot be utilised by buses and shoppers put off from using the car park.

“It is an important issue and should not be ignored.”

Tanya Lyon, community safety manager at City of York Council, said: “We have secured a court order today, which we will be executing shortly, on the caravan owners on Walmgate Stray, and we’ve served a notice of direction to leave land on those illegally parked at St George’s car park.”