A SCHOOL is counting the cost after a large group of travellers left rubbish strewn across its playing fields.

Around 30 caravans moved on to the grounds of Smithills School, in Smithills Dean Road, on Sunday evening, after they were given notice to leave nearby Moss Bank Park.

The travellers left late on Monday evening, moving to Ox Hey Lane in Lostock, after police warned them they could be arrested for trespassing on school property and for causing a disturbance.

But the school sports day which was planned to go ahead on the fields today has had to be cancelled.

Headteacher Chris Roberts said it was “excellent news” that the travellers had gone and that he was delighted with the quick response of Sgt John Nicol and the Bolton West Neighbourhood Policing Team.

However, he said the playing field had been left in a mess.

“They have left bags of rubbish, tar, beer cans, even broken Yamaha recorders,” said Mr Roberts.

The site was being cleared of all rubbish yesterday morning and made safe for pupils.

Mr Roberts said: “Sadly, sports day will not go ahead. We take real pleasure in our sports day. It’s a big event for us and we hire equipment, like public address systems, but they were cancelled on Monday as we didn’t know if the travellers would have moved on. It will be re-organised for later in the term.”

The school asked 300 pupils from year eight to stay at home on Tuesday, as plans were put in place to move children out of classrooms next to the playing fields. It was feared the travellers’ presence would cause the pupils to be distracted.

The pupils, who had been given work to do from home, were contacted in the morning and asked to go to school as usual when it was learned that the travellers had moved.

Mr Roberts said that due to dry weather the field had not been damaged and that he was confident that it would be business as usual today.

He is now assessing how much the clean-up operation, the extra security staff brought in on Sunday and Monday and the general disturbance to the school routine has cost.

Police spoke to the travellers on Monday night to inform them that trespass — which is normally a civil offence — is elevated to a criminal offence when it is carried out on school premises and causes disruption, giving police the power of arrest if the travellers refuse to move on.

The group had yesterday congregated on land off Ox Hey Lane, opposite the Bolton Wanderers’ Academy. The land is sometimes used by the academy for parking.