Travellers have set up camp in Kenningtons Park, and are apparently causing a mess.

The travellers are currently occupying the car park for Kenningtons Park off Romford Road in Aveley.

They have been there since last night.

Thurrock Council leader, Rob Gledhill, believes that the travellers are from the same group that had originally been at Aveley Recreational Ground, but were given a deadline to move on by today.

He is now hoping that they can be moved on today and is calling for the police to use their powers to make this happen.

He said: "The police have other powers that the council doesn't.

"I have been at sites where there has been a section 61 notice issued by the police then and there, but it seems to police don't want to get involved in this one.

"Residents have told me that the travellers have left gas cannisters, bins of rubbish and what they believe is human waste."

Mr Gledhill had been previously critical of the way Essex Police dealt with travellers at the Culver Centre in South Ockendon.

He said: "The lack of direction and action by the senior police management has yet again let Thurrock residents down, regrettably the third time in as many weeks.

"I will be making a formal complaint in relation to this and the other incidents.

"It is not acceptable that Essex Police continue to pay lip service to this very serious issue."

Thurrock council officers eventually moved this encampment on.

An Essex Police spokesman responded: "We were called to reports of an unauthorised traveller encampment at a site in Daiglen Drive, South Ockendon at around 9.10pm on Monday, February 19.

"Unauthorised traveller encampments are a civil matter of trespass and the landowner, whether they are a private landowner or a local council, have powers under common law to get an encampment to move off their land.

"We attended to assess the site and worked with Thurrock Council to establish its ownership.

"Once it was confirmed the land was owned by Thurrock Council at around 12.45pm on Tuesday, February 20, the authority directed the encampment to leave.

"Following reports of fly-tipping at the site and rubbish being set alight, we prepared to issue a Section 61 Notice but the encampment had already left at around 5.20pm.

"We liaised and worked with Thurrock Council at each and every step, providing assistance and resources where appropriate and possible.

"In the time between getting the initial call about the encampment and the time the encampment moved off the site we had nearly 90 calls about incidents in the Thurrock district including missing people, collisions on the roads, and assaults.

"We always prioritise our resources to the incidents where there is the greatest risk of harm to members of the public and our communities wouldn’t expect anything less."

Police can request travellers to move at short notice without reference to the courts by using a Section 61 notice, if the landowners have taken reasonable steps to ask an encampment to leave, and specified criteria is met.

A spokesman for Thurrock Council said: "The encampment is on private land  at Kennington Car Park, Aveley. The council has contacted the landowner to inform them of the encampment and have provided advice and guidance regarding the options available to them.

"This morning officers from the council’s Enforcement Team attended the encampment with the Police to determine whether the encampment meets the Police threshold for Section 61 removals.

"We have issued the encampment with a formal written warning under the Community Protection Notice  process to refrain from the unauthorised deposit of waste and associated anti-social behaviour and we will continue to work with colleagues in the Police and the private land owner."