TRAVELLERS have been evicted from playing fields within a day of setting up camp.

Around 20 caravans plus cars and vans arrived at the Bournemouth council-owned Wallisdown recreation ground, leased by Bournemouth University for sport.

The travellers moved in on Wednesday evening when residents said they heard them getting in through the gates.

But yesterday they were issued an eviction notice and left before officers towed two older-looking caravans that were left behind out of the site.

One of the travellers, giving the name Patrick Murphy, said the “short notice” had disrupted them as some of their children were attending local schools.

“The first we knew about it was 1pm and they said we had to get out by 3.30pm,” he said.

“But half the families are not even here. It’s causing chaos and that’s not right.”

The travellers had gone by 5pm.

Wallisdown resident Brian Peach, 70, said he was disappointed the travellers had made it into the field despite the police being called but praised the officers for evicting them.

He was “amazed” the travellers were gone within a day after they had spent days and more than a week at other sites.

A spokesman for Bournemouth University said they started legal proceedings against the travellers and Superintendent Nick Maton, of Dorset Police, said they were working with the university.

He said: “We have followed up this request with a direction to leave under Section 61 of the Public Order Act 1986. This requires the travellers to move from the site.

“Our grounds for this decision are that the travellers’ presence on the recreation ground denies the community of the use of a facility on which various parties to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee are due to take place this weekend.”

Another mum told the Daily Echo she usually takes her one-year-old daughter to the playground there but didn’t feel safe with the travellers there.

Natalie Joyner, 37, from Talbot Drive, said: “The police were very quick and tried their best not to let them in but there was nothing they could do.

“When the travellers got in they asked to use our electricity and water.”

Fellow resident Gorken Metches, 29, visits the park with her daughter Karna.

She said: “It’s fine if they keep it tidy. And I would prefer people pay to stay at camp sites.”

And Mike Sollinger, 30, who also lives nearby, added: “The council needs to give them somewhere to stay or they are going to keep going on fields like this.”

BOROUGH of Poole officials believe the same travellers who were evicted from Haskells Recreation Ground, Newtown, on Wednesday were among those who moved onto the field off Talbot Drive. Jeff Morley, a team manager at the borough, said officers started a clean-up operation at Haskells Rec, yesterday, after “general builders’ rubbish was left behind”. He added: “Weather permitting, we anticipate that the recreation ground will be substantially clear in time for the bank holiday weekend.”