Travellers have been forced to move off a station car park where they had been blocking parking spaces.

The group of about 12 caravans and other vehicles left the site off Station Road, Steeton, today afternoon.

The families coupled up their mobile homes and moved away at about 2pm after receiving a legal notice.

Overseeing the operation were a number of police officers and a representative of Northern Rail which took the legal action.

It is understood that the group headed for the Bradford area in convoy.

The families arrived at the site about three weeks ago occupying 17 places.

Councillor Andrew Mallinson, (Con, Craven) who lives in the village, said: “They seem to have gone relatively quickly which is good. These things can drag on a long time especially when family issues have to be discussed.

“I’ll be interested to see what they have left behind because the condition of these areas after they have left is what concerns many people.”

A number of locations in the Bradford area have been occupied by travelling people in the last six weeks, including Thompson Lane, Baildon, and at Redbeck playing fields in Shipley.