A group of Travellers have settled on popular playing fields in Blacon .

A total of 20 caravans plus accompanying cars were parked off Shelley Road at about 7.30pm on Tuesday (May 9).

A spokeswoman for Cheshire West and Chester Council , who own the land, said they were aware of the 'encampment'.

They will be conducting an assessment later today.

Travellers have arrived at the playing fields off Shelley Road in Blacon

It is not the first time Travellers have used Shelley Road.

A court order had to be sought after a group set up there in August last year, but they left before they were formally evicted.

CWaC has a section on its website which explains why Gypsies and Irish Travellers park up on the side of the road.

It states: “There are not enough authorised places for them to stop; they may be attending a family wedding or funeral in the area, or they are travelling through to one of the many horse fairs and need to stop.

“These are called unauthorised encampments. The Government defines them as 'encampments of caravans and/or other vehicles on land without the landowner or occupier’s consent'; trespass is a civil rather than criminal offence.

“Nationally, 21% of all Gypsies and Irish Travellers living in caravans are homeless; this means they have nowhere legally to park their caravan. One solution to this would be to provide permanent and transit sites (site intended for short stays - such sites are usually permanent, but there is a limit on the length of time residents can stay).”

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