A TRAVELLER family including five young children who found sanctuary under the shadow of Christchurch Priory for more than a week has been given its marching orders.

On Friday Christchurch council served a direction order on the travellers camped in the secluded Priory car park off Quay Road.

Town hall officials took a softly-softly approach when the caravan and two pick-up trucks arrived in the car park on the evening of Thursday, October 11.

When challenged by council officers the travellers said they only planned to stay for a week.

"We have to show tolerance and we were not aware they were causing any great problems," said a council spokesman.

But when the travellers had not moved on by Friday officials moved in to serve a direction order on the family, requiring them to leave by Sunday or face the threat of legal action to have them evicted.

The ultimatum followed a visit by the Dorset gypsy liaison officer to offer the family a place at an official traveller transit site elsewhere in the county.

Borough environmental health officer Gary Smith said: "They were advised that there are spaces available on these sites and although they are in the west of the county, it was not considered it would cause them unreasonable hardship to move there."

Mr Smith said that if the travellers had not left by the Sunday deadline he would seek a court order.

Meanwhile, councillors and residents are asking why the sensitive Priory car park in the historic heart of the tourist town and on the edge of Christchurch Quay was not protected by steel height barriers similar to those used on other sites around the borough following previous traveller incursions.

"That is the question I have been asking. There must have been a reason for not doing this car park at the same time as all the others and I am trying to find out why," said Community Services committee chairman Cllr Sally Derham Wilkes.