TRAVELLERS have moved onto popular playing fields in Little Lever.

Around 20 caravans set up camp in Dove Bank Park on Tuesday afternoon after being moved off nearby Leverhulme Park.

Little Lever councillor Sean Hornby said: "I have spoken to the council's liaison officer, who has been on site, about having the travellers moved off as quickly as possible. The field is popular with children and dog walkers and local residents are concerned.

"A number of them have rung me about the situation. Travellers have set up camp on the site before, not for a couple of years, but when I previously a councillor enforcement action was taken."

A Bolton Council spokesman said:"We are aware of travellers on the site and have served them with notice to leave within 24 hours. If they don’t do this, we will apply to the magistrates' court for a summons to remove them from the land."

The camp was set up just a day after the government's department of communities and local government announced measures to crackdown on unauthorised occupation of sites.

Figures revealed that between 2000 and 2009 there was a four-fold increase in the numbers of caravans on unauthorised sites — creating, says the department, tensions between travellers and the settled populations.

There have been a number of incidents of travellers moving on to land in Bolton in recent weeks.

Only last month travellers moved onto land off Moss Bank Way were ordered to leave by the council and residents complained about the mess they left behind. Last year The Bolton News reported that almost £10,000 of taxpayers' money has been spent by the council evicting travellers from public land since 2010.