A DOZEN caravans pitched up on Colchester Park and Ride sparking fears its is becoming an “easy target” for travellers.

The group, understood to have arrived yesterday morning, parked at the back of the 1,000-space car park.

Each caravan was accompanied by at least one other vehicle with English registration plates.

Only women and children were in the caravans when the Gazette visited the encampment yesterday.

None of the group were prepared to speak to our reporter.

Park and ride customers, however, spoke of their concerns, with some citing a concern about a number of other encampments across the town.

One man said: “I’d heard they were in town yesterday and then down at the Hythe.

“I was saying to my wife: ‘It must be a Bank Holiday,’ because that tends to bring them out.”

Martin Goss, Colchester councillor for Mile End, which includes the park and ride, said: “The problem is there is no security there and therefore it is becoming a bit of an open target during the day.

“You feel for the staff who are there because it is obviously pretty easy to see a load of caravans coming and all they can do is call their bosses at Essex County Council.”

He added: “The right people are now involved but there is no doubt the people who set up these encampments know the law inside out and they’ll be aware it’s a Bank Holiday and the paperwork needed to move them on will certainly be slowed down.”

An Essex County Council spokeswoman told the Gazette the authority was “aware” of the encampment and was “assessing the situation”.

A second group also pitched up on land on the eastern side of Northern Approach.

That land, which is set aside for the Northern Gateway development, is owned by Colchester Council.

Within hours of the encampment, the authority had called the police, who arrived and order the group to move on immediately.

As of 2.30pm yesterday, the police had escorted each vehicle off the site.

A Colchester Council spokesman said: “Following reports of an illegal encampment on council land at United Way, an assessment was made by the police to issue a Section 61 Notice ordering the travellers to leave immediately.”

“The travellers have now vacated the land and council officers are in attendance to secure the site.”