TRAVELLERS who set up camp on a football pitch for nearly nine weeks have moved on, leaving council officials with a major clean-up operation.

The group of more than ten caravans had based itself on the field near Fern Street, in Farnworth, from early April.

Bolton Council was unable to serve an eviction order on them as one of the families had given birth to premature twins and their welfare had taken priority.

However, the travellers upped sticks on Sunday May 28, abandoning two caravans, four propane bottles, a washing machine and leaving a large amount of rubble in one corner of the field.

The football pitch also appeared to have badly damaged.

Bolton Council has since cleaned up the field and secured the area by placing large boulders near the children’s play area to prevent vehicles getting on again.

A height restriction barrier has been ordered and will soon be installed to stop caravans accessing the site in future.

There will also be additional fencing added around the perimeter of the site.

Ward councillor Asif Ibrahim has thanked residents for their support during what he acknowledged had been ‘a difficult time’.

He said: “They have been frustrated but they have been really, really, amazing in terms of their understanding about the particular welfare issue which meant we couldn’t enforce an order to evict.

“As frustrating as that is for residents they have been pretty understanding in that regard.”

Cllr Ibrahim continued: “The whole situation couldn’t have been managed as well as it has been if not for the understanding of the residents.”

He added that the measures the council had already put in place should ensure the episode is not repeated.

“Going into the future we’re going to ensure we have the site to use for local people as quickly as possible," he said. “We will harden that particular target to make sure we don’t have an encroachment of that nature again.”

However, some residents queried why the whole group was allowed to stay on the field because one family was caring for premature twins.

Cllr Ibrahim, who acknowledged he had been approached by residents over the issue, said: “My understanding is they presented as a community and as a group and the direction was served on them as a group.

“The mother involved in this particular issue was getting a lot of support from other women and it was not thought it would be appropriate to evict them on that basis.”

The council’s actions following the travellers' departure were welcomed by some residents.

Alan Tyrer, of nearby Trafford Street, who walks his dog on the field, said the authority had done a ‘decent enough job’ of the clean-up, but said the field was so badly damaged it was no longer fit for playing football on.

But Julie Simm Mellor, also of Trafford Street, complained there was still a ‘disgusting mess’ at the site, including dirty nappies and bags of rubbish in the trees.

And she said she feared travellers would get back onto the site despite the measures taken by the council.

She said: “It will happen again, of course it will.

"It’s going to keep happening because they know they can get there and stay there for a couple of months at a time.

"They will keep doing it.”