A COURT order has been granted to enable the removal of 28 travellers' caravans from a park.

Permission for the order to be served on travellers at Darley Park, in Farnworth, was given at Bolton Magistrates Court yesterday morning.

The order came into effect immediately.

It is understood a padlock was broken so that travellers could get on to the site on Sunday and on Monday and the council then served the group with a notice requiring them to leave within 24 hours.

They failed to comply with the notice and were then served with summonses relating to the application for a court order on Wednesday.

A separate group of travellers who arrived at Doe Hey Park, also in Farnworth, during the early hours of Sunday left on Wednesday.

Residents living near the park claimed some of the vehicles were among those moved on from the site just over a week ago, and therefore subject to a previous court order.

And many want the authorities to take a tougher stance on illegal camps, particularly when anti-social behaviour is reported.

Some have questioned why police are not using powers to seize vehicles under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act.

The legislation gives uniformed police officers and police community support officers powers to deal with persons using mechanically propelled vehicles in an anti-social manner, whether on or off-road.

Resident, Kath Gough, whose home overlooks Doe Hey Park, said: “The police were there on Sunday night. Three police cars turned up as they had been told a fight was going on , and while they were there, their vehicles were driving round the park and were seen driving through the trees and over pavements.

“When we questioned why Section 59 wasn’t being used, the officers said they were going to go with the council process.”

She added: “Police said they were not driving them erratically, but Section 59 states it can be used when vehicles are driven in a way to alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public — not driving erratically. But these were driving erratically.

“If we, the settled folk, decided to do the same thing, I guarantee we would get stopped, but we were told it was ‘different for travellers’.

“We queried it and police said caravans aren’t motorised vehicles, but they were dragged on by motorised vehicles. It can be any motorised vehicle, it can be a bike or a scooter.”

Cllr Jean Gillies, who represents the Farnworth ward, said she also did not understand why warnings were not issued or vehicles seized, under Section 59 powers.

She added: “The police didn’t say ‘any more of this and we will take these vehicles off you’. They were driving over a public footpath to get on the field — driving between two trees and on the park area. It’s a recreational park. Vehicles, unless they are cutting the grass, are not permitted.”

Greater Manchester Police declined to comment.