TRAVELLERS are to be evicted after setting up camp on land earmarked for Elevate housing.

Hyndburn Borough Council has told the travellers to move on after caravans began to appear on land off Blackburn Road, Accrington.

The land is set to be used for new homes to be built in a bid to improve the borough’s housing stock.

Council leader Peter Britcliffe has said the authority will evict the travellers as it already offer official traveller accomodation and would not turn a blind eye to unoffical sites such as this one.

Ward councillors for the area also said that residents had voiced their concerns about problems with waste, as the site is not serviced and has no amenities.

In response to their concerns, the copuncil has issued a number of notices to quit to caravans on the land, which is near the Acorn Primary Health Care Centre.

Coun Britcliffe said: "We do provide places, which are well regulated sites, for travellers. In this case where the site has been illegally set up, we would serve them a notice to move on. We do our fair share and do more than enough in Hyndburn to support the needs of travellers. It isn't our policy to encourage illegal sites.”

Ward councillor John Broadley said: “Lots of people are worried about the sudden influx of caravans on the site and have been in touch with me about it. They said travellers have been seen throwing stuff out of the caravans and so people are worried about the build up of waste over time.”

The caravans have been on the land for at least several days. Currently there are eight remaining.

The area is where 192 old and worn-out terraced houses were demolished to create the "Phoenix 1" site, bounded by Blackburn Road, Leyland Street, Star Street and Oakbank Drive.

Plans have been approved for 168 new homes to be built on the redevelopment site as part of Phoenix 1, under which the new health centre was created.

The development will include a range of house sizes from five bedroom and three storey family homes to a small number of one bedroom apartments.