TRAVELLERS who pitched up their caravans on a Kidderminster beauty spot are now facing legal action after ignoring an order to move off the site.

Wyre Forest District Council officers are starting legal proceedings after the group failed to leave a car park in Heronswood Road near to the Spennells Valley Nature Reserve, by 3pm on Wednesday last week.

The authority will have a hearing for possession heard at county court tomorrow. Notice of the hearing and all the relevant court papers were served on each of the caravans last Friday.

It is believed the travellers accessed the car park, which has bollards and a height barrier in place, by driving down an embankment about two weeks ago.

Since then, they have littered the picturesque site with rubbish and left residents too frightened to use the nature reserve, said Conservative district councillor John Aston.

Mr Aston and Independent Group members Helen and Peter Dyke are now calling for action to stop travellers gaining access to the site again.

They want extra bollards installed around the entrance to stop access from the grass verge.

Mr Aston said: “We can’t have this happen again. What we want now is a set of stumps, two feet high.

“If these stumps are installed then they can’t get in or get any vehicles through.” He added he had written to the district council to try and get something done as soon as the travellers leave the site.

Mrs Dyke said: “This work cannot be delayed. We already have a metal gate and ram raider bar in place to the entrance to the field. Now we need to prevent access via the grass verge to the car park too.”

Mr and Mrs Dyke have also asked for a full clean-up of the area as soon as the car park is vacated.

Conservative councillor Nathan Desmond, the district council’s cabinet member for resources and transformation, said options needed to be looked at to stop it happening again.

He added: “If stumps or some form of barrier will prevent travellers from entering the car park in the future then we need to work with the local community to make this a reality. A beautiful park and well-used community facility cannot be subjected to this again.”