A GROUP of travellers moving from site to site in Rossendale have set up at a business park.

A 20-strong convoy of caravans have been in the borough for around six weeks and they have now turned an area at New Hall Hey, in Rawtenstall into a campsite.

The partially developed retail park has been in the hands of administrators KPMG since Hurstwood Developments abandoned the site after going into administration in 2009.

It is the third known site where the travellers have set up base in the Valley, having previously been kicked off land at Rossendale Council’s Futures Park, in Bacup, and then the old Stand Athletic FC ground, off Blackburn Road, in Haslingden.

Rossendale Council leader Alyson Barnes said: “We are aware of this and our council officers have got in touch with the administrators to make sure they are aware of it.

“As a council we will be keeping this under review. Usually we have one or two incidents like this a year but we seem to have had a few more this year.”

The council said they first thought that the travellers could have arrived in the borough before Appleby Horse Fair in early June, but that has now finished.

Rossendale Council waged a three-week battle to try and remove the travellers from Futures Park after applying to the court for a possession order.

The travellers left the site an hour before a warrant was due to be executed on the site to remove them.

The council said the matter now fell under the responsibility of KPMG who will need to seek a court order to force the travellers to move on.