Southend Council's legal team is moving to get travellers who appeared in an Eastwood park last week "forcibly removed" after they ignored orders to leave. 

Eastwood Park Lib Dem leader, Paul Collins, has issued an update about the situation in Oakwood Park, Eastwood, after the travellers were hit with a 24-hour notice to leave on Monday evening.

The site, currently consisting of six static caravans, managed to access the park late on Thursday, with the council conducting a check on the site on Friday.

Site - An image of the traveller site Site - An image of the traveller site (Image: Paul Collins)

Mr Collins said: "Your councillors have been in regular contact with the council's legal team and they will now have the right to contact the magistrate court today for agreement to have the travellers forcibly removed.

"Like everything in this slow and legal moving process, we are told it could be a day or so before it is heard in court. However, the legal officers told us last night that the police can step in if the behaviour of travellers is bad, and that would need nearby residents to call them with complaints of behaviour.

"We are trying all methods to get them out, please keep me posted on what you see."

According to Mr Collins, when speaking to the Echo on Monday, residents have contacted him with complaints of waste and litter around the site.