A LARGE group of travellers set up home on an Ilkley playing field this week after managing to dodge two blockades.

More than 20 caravans and other vehicles gained entry to East Holme Fields, opposite the Lido, by cutting through Ilkley Rugby Club land at around 10am yesterday.

Their occupants had just been forced to leave Victoria Park, in Keighley, and were thought to be heading for Crossflatts when they made an unexpected detour.

Council officials and police then followed them to Ilkley and, when they realised which site they planned to use, blocked off both entrances to the field, off Denton Road.

But the travellers found another way through, much to the anger of local residents including Bradford Environment chief and Ilkley parish and district Councillor, Anne Hawkesworth.

She said: "When we realised they weren't going to Crossflatts we followed them and tried to stop them getting into the field by blockading the gates, but they got in from the rugby club side.

"Legal action has been started to remove them but we're told it will be a seven day process. I'm seeing what I can do to speed it up because that's quite a long time.

"People in Ilkley are not very amused at this and I can tell you that I am very far from being amused. It is not exactly helpful for the environment and this is such a high profile, Council site.

"It has happened just at a time when many people are using the swimming pool and the Lido.

"We also have the Britain in Bloom judging next week and then the Summer Festival, so we are pulling out all the stops to get this resolved.

"We also need to get full police involvement because this cannot be allowed to happen."

Ilkley Police Sergeant Esther Hobbs said her team was working with the council to find a solution, and confirmed they were also investigating claims of damage being caused to a gate.

The travellers themselves, however, deny doing any harm and say they can't understand why people won't leave them alone.

One of a large group of young Irishmen on the site, who agreed to talk but didn't want to be identified or photographed, told the Ilkley Gazette: "We love the place here, it's a nice spot beside the river with plenty of space.

"We didn't break the gate, it was open when we came. We're keeping the place clean and not doing any harm, so why can't people do the same?

"The police drove onto our last site at 4am in the morning and woke us all up, including the children and the babies."

Another man, dripping with water after taking a dip in the River Wharfe, couldn't see what the fuss was about. "This is the life!" he said.

l Another group of travellers, complete with caravans and horses, continues to occupy land off a nearby lay-by in Denton Road.