TRAVELLERS who have set up camp at Huncoat's derelict power station site may face an injunction ordering them to leave.

Previous visits to the area have resulted in rubbish being dumped and vehicles churning up fields.

Up to 30 caravans have set up at the site, parts of which are owned by National Power and Norweb.

A spokesman for National Power said: "The bulk of the land which the gipsies are on is not owned by us. But we and the other owners of land at the site, including Norweb, are seeing if we can get an injunction order against them."

A spokeswoman for Norweb said they were aware of the problem and were investigating. Police in Accrington have been contacted by National Power and are looking into the matter.

Huncoat ward councillor Maralyn Parkins said: "I contacted the council's head of environmental services and he has passed the matter on to the site owners.

"Lots of residents have been ringing me to say that the gipsies are back. Last time we had gipsies here they left quite a mess. I have heard rumours that some of them are working in the area and bringing a lot of rubbish back from their work." One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "There are about 30 caravans up there. Gipsies have caused havoc when they have come in the past." In May last year travellers upset residents when they set up home on playing fields off Bolton Avenue for 24 hours. Residents accused the visitors of leaving a mess including bits of food, bags of roof tiles and burnt tyres.

Travellers have visited Huncoat for the last three years and previously there have been problems with their vehicles churning up fields.

Hyndburn Council recently spent 18 months trying to buy the 61-acre plot from National Power to build an environmental research centre.

But National Power refused to sell and the scheme, a joint venture between Hyndburn Council, Lancashire County Council, Lancashire County Enterprises Ltd and Dublin-based firm Omega Pacific, failed.

The site has been derelict since 1986 and local councillors have called for action to clean it up.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.