TRAVELLERS have set up camp on a leisure centre car park.

The group arrived on January 10 in caravans and motorhomes and set up camp on Shadsworth Leisure Centre carpark in Shadsworth Road, Blackburn.

A spokesman for Blackburn with Darwen Council said plans were already in motion to move the group off the car park.

She said: "A notice was served on 12th January for the travellers to move on within 24 hours.

"County court proceedings were then issued for their removal.

"The travellers have been served with 24 hours notice to leave and we will be issuing possession proceedings at the County Court tomorrow if they are still there."

Shadsworth with Whitebirk Cllr Tony Humphrys said the situation is a 'nightmare'.

He said: "I'm really concerned because when they leave there's a huge mess that the community has to clean up.

"We have tried to stop them getting on, but it's a public car park, and it needs to be available to leisure centre users.

"It's a nightmare and the residents are fed up of it.

"We have to pay to get a court order to move them along, then once they've gone we have to get the cleaning department out to tidy up after them which comes out of tax payers pockets.

"The residents always end up coming to help clean up after them, it's no wonder they're getting frustrated.

"I would be in favour of having a site for them to stay on so they can at least be regulated and be made to clean up after themselves."

This comes following a drawn out battled by Blackburn with Darwen Council to move a group of travellers who had set up camp on a park in Darwen.

The group arrived on Olive Lane park in Darwen in August and were quickly moved on by the council.

They then returned to the site a further three times before moving to the former school site.

Sudell Ward Cllr Jane Oates said the legal procedure surrounding the handling of travellers did not make the process of moving them on easy.

She said: "I understand residents' frustrations but we can't get around the legal process.

"It's long and drawn out and needs changing really."