TRAVELLERS are still on a playing field in Horndean as the wait to get a court order to evict them goes on.
The itinerant group arrived last Friday night (July 27) with caravans and vans among the vehicles they used, and by Saturday morning they were set up on one of the football pitches on the recreation ground off Five Heads Road, next to the home of Horndean Football Club.
It’s unclear how they gained access to the ground, but, if the gates were forcibly opened, they would have faced charges of illegal entry and been moved on.
The recreation ground is owned by Horndean Parish Council (HPC), and a council spokesman said on Tuesday, July 31,the encampment was still there.
HPC chairman Cllr Lynn Evans added: “They are on a well-used part of the field, and preventing its proper use. They aren’t leaving voluntarily of their own free will, so we are getting a court order to evict them.
“We are going through that process as quickly as we can, but it still takes time.”
Parish clerk Carla Baverstock-Jones, who would have normally dealt with the matter, is on holiday.
In her absence HPC turned to Hampshire County Council’s (HCC) gypsy liaison service for advice.
There are also concerns among villagers about the cost of clearing up after the eviction notice has been served and the group has left.
A similar incident at the Jubilee Hall field off Crouch Lane cost HPC about £12,000 to clear up, a former councillor said.