RUBBISH was found strewn across playing fields and gardens after travellers moved on to another site in Poole.

Residents found horse manure on their front lawns and rubbish including nappies in their back gardens after the group of caravans left the recreation park off Lower Blandford Road in Broadstone, Poole.

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Among the discarded items were shaving razors, broken bikes, electrical cables and a wheelbarrow with bags of building materials.

The group left Broadstone on Monday and two concrete and resin posts were then removed at Haskells recreation ground in Parkstone before 19 caravans were brought in.

Back at Broadstone the rubbish included plates, dozens of cans, shoes, clothes, a dressing gown, a duvet and manure around the public seats where horses had been tethered.

It has emerged the police made it to Broadstone Rec last Thursday after some caravans had arrived and were preventing many more from gaining entry – but they stood aside due to the legal implications of council officials starting civil proceedings.

Emergency meetings are being arranged by councillors to find ways of stopping groups gaining access to recreation grounds and other sites Broadstone councillor Mike Brooke said: “The council should not automatically be letting them on, which is happening at the moment.

“The police were stopping people coming on until they had to let them through when the council started civil proceedings.”

Police saw it was unlawful to block entry to the site when the Borough of Poole – as landowner – had decided to invoke civil eviction proceedings.

So despite getting there in time to block most of the encampment, the officers then stood back.

But they continued to patrol the area and checked the site again yesterday.

Cllr Brooke said the wheelbarrow and rubble suggested the group was carrying out work in the area.

“A lot of the rubbish is bagged but there’s lots strewn around,” he added.

A Poole council spokesman said direction orders were being served at Haskells Rec.

Court time has been booked for Thursday to apply for an eviction order and subject to that being granted and served the travellers will have 24 hours to leave.

Officers will attend Broadstone Recreation Park today to clear rubbish and review the site’s security “while balancing the need for legitimate use and access”.

RESIDENT Ian Munro said horses owned by the travellers had made it on to his front garden.

“They were roaming around and messed on our lawns,” he said. “They threw rubbish in all of our gardens. There were bags and bags thrown into our raspberries. And they had generators running at night.”

Andy Hall, 46, from Poole, walking at the recreation park, said: “We would not mind them being here as much if it was not left in this state.

“You don’t know what you might find.”

Sandra Batchford, from Poole, uses the fields to walk her dogs.

She said: “It’s dreadful. The posts were pulled up so they could get cars and caravans in here.”

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