PEOPLE in Kingswinford have hit out after discovering travellers have set up camp in the village ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend.

Three large caravans have parked up on playing fields at the back of Kingswinford Community Centre, off the High Street.

Their arrival has sparked debate on the I’m From Kingswinford Facebook site but ward councillor Patrick Harley is calling on Dudley Council to act fast and evict the visitors - who have reportedly cluttered the basketball courts with three dog kennels.

Cllr Harley, leader of Dudley Conservatives, said: “It’s unbelievable. It’s about time we took preventative measures to stop unwelcome guests like these making people’s lives a misery.

“It’s left to the local authority to pick up the bill and clean up the mess.”

A spokesman for Dudley Council said officers were aware of the caravans on the site and said a court hearing, to evict the travellers, had been scheduled for next Friday.

Cllr Harley branded the authority’s response “half-hearted” and said: “We need to be taking really strong action to get rid of them quickly. People will be wanting to use those playing fields on Sunday to play football.”

He said a group of travellers encamped on the playing fields at the back of Wall Heath Community Centre a couple of months ago and he added: “We’ve had enough.

“These people are unwelcome.

“There are sites around the country where they could pull up and pay for a night or a couple of nights.”

Dudley South MP Mike Wood added: “I’m calling on the council and the local police to do everything they can to make sure they’re evicted from this field as quickly as possible and that the necessary legal steps are taken to ensure they do not encamp on other open spaces in the Kingswinford area.”