A LEADING councillor vowed to do all he can to remove travellers from a popular playground.

Three caravans and three transit vans pitched up at Barn Hall car park, off Haslemere Road, Wickford, on Wednesday night.

It comes just two weeks after travellersmoved onto Howards Park, in Howard Crescent, Pitsea, before later parking up at Eversley recreation ground, in nearby Crest Avenue.

Kevin Blake, deputy leader of Basildon Council, said his Tory administration has had enough.

Residents have complained about noisy generators and mess left behind at both Howards Park and Eversley.

He said: “It’s shocking that people keep going on to our property and setting up camp.

“We serve injunctions, but the travellers seem to know exactly how long the process takes so they don’t rush to move.

“The annoying thing is it’s a strain on taxpayers’ money.

This is the third time in a row its happened in the past few weeks, every time we get rid of a group of travellers more seem to pitch up somewhere else. It's unacceptable.

Basildon already has its fair share of legal travellers sites.

“I have a zero tolerance approach. When the travellers left Howards Park, a resident told me it wasn’t too bad, as only three bags worth of rubbish was left behind. That’s still too much, and we still had to pay someone to remove that.

It all comes down to taxpayers’ money."

Eunice Brockman, from Wickford Action Group, said: “The locals are most definitely not happy.

“I know it’s not particularly a lot of caravans, but they’ve alreadymade the car park look like a proper camp. Women have been seen putting out washing and children playing on the swings at the playground.

“I’m all for moving them on, but am aware it costs a lot of money.”

Last year, straight-talking Mr Blake previously formed a human shield with Ukip rivals Kerry Smith and Linda Allport-Hodge in an attempt to stop travellers moving on to a disused car park in Nethermayne, Basildon.

He is now considering installing bollards around public parks in the borough, like Castle Point Council did around a field next to Labworth car park, in Eastern Esplanade, Canvey, where travellers sparked a huge police presence last summer.

Mr Blake added: “Residents now want bollards put up to make sure this doesn’t happen again, but that means kids are going to have to miss out on a piece of play equipment because our budget only stretches so far.”

Council has no right of say on site near A127

BASILDON Council has lost the power to decide whether travellers will be allowed to remain on a pitch off the A127.

Temporary five-year permission for the seven-caravan pitch in Cranfield Park Avenue, Wickford, was first granted in 2009.

But the long-term future of the site will be determined by a Governmentappointed inspector after the council failed to respond to a new application within the required 13-week period.

Initial permission for the caravans, fencing, hardstanding and day rooms on the site expired last June, but travellers remain on-site in breach of planning regulations.

A new application for the site was eventually lodged in October, which can be appealed to the planning inspector if no response is received within 13 weeks.

The council claims it did not meet the deadline because it had not yet completed a separate review of traveller sites in the borough.

In a report to councillors, planning enforcement officer Neil Costen said: “The permission has now expired, however the applicants continue to occupy the application site in breach of planning control.”

The first application to occupy the site, which is on green belt land, was lodged and subsequently refused in 2004.

In 2005, Basildon Council issued enforcement notices against five residents, including Southend United footballer Freddie Eastwood.

It triggered four years of appeals and inquiries before the temporary five-year permission was granted in June 2009.

Despite the green belt status, Mr Costen’s report has concluded the council would now grant permission for the travellers to remain, if it had the power to do so.

The report decided the need to find sites for travellers and protect their status outweighed any potential harm to the landscape.