ACTION is being taken to evict travellers from a recreation ground in Clacton.

A group of eight caravans and a dozen vehicles turned up at Vista Road Recreation Ground around lunchtime on Sunday just as a cricket match was getting underway.

They set up close to the railway line about half way down the field.

A Tendring Council officer spoke to members of the group who said that they had booked onto a holiday park in the area but had been asked to leave.

They said that they are on holiday and intended to stay until Wednesday when they would leave the recreation ground.

They also paid to use the showers at Clacton Leisure Centre.

One of the travellers asked for a portable toilet to be provided, but the request was declined by the council.

Paul Honeywood, Tendring Council’s cabinet member for housing, said it is the second time travellers have camped on Vista Road Recreation Ground this year.

“There was a smaller group earlier this year and we also had a caravan park on the leisure centre’s car park for a few days,” he added.

“We will need to go through the laid down legal processes to get this latest encampment evicted and then tidy up the site after they have left.”

Tendring Council informed Essex Countywide Traveller Unit of the incursion on Monday morning and the unit will now visit the group.

Once the paperwork has been prepared they will be served with a Direction to Leave which gives them 24 hours to move on.

Should they not do so the unit will serve a court summons with a date for a hearing likely to be later this week or early next week.