A FARMER and general manager of a junior football club have both been left in limbo after travellers moved onto land either owned or used by them.

Karl Kunz runs a field in Cottingley and has told the Telegraph & Argus he fears a huge clean-up bill after the travellers moved off his land last Wednesday.

It is thought the same group moved from the scene in Cottingley to King George V playing fields in Canal Road, Bolton Woods.

The fields are used by children at Bradford Christian School, and three football teams, including Tony Miller's Bolton Woods Junior Football Club, which has twenty teams.

Some of them play on the Canal Road pitches, but Mr Miller says games have had to be re-arranged since the travellers and their vehicles moved onto the grass.

He said: "All the open-age games have been re-arranged to play at the opposition team's pitches.

"It's not really fair because you lose the advantage of playing at home.

"The younger teams can't play there either, so they are being re-arranged at a great expense to the club.

"We really feel aggrieved about this happening to us.

"The club has gone through a tough time recently and this is another kick in the teeth for the community.

"The quicker it's sorted, the better, because we can then get back to normal."

Bradford Council officers plan to attend court today (WeDs) to begin the legal process of removing the travellers.

A spokesperson from Bradford Council said: "We will be attending court on Wednesday to apply for a possession order for the site."

Mr Kunz, who owns the Cottingley land as part of a company, has previously put the cost of clearing up the land at £5,000.

He has contacted Bradford Council’s fly-tipping department about removing the waste, and hopes he will not have to stump up the cash.

The large camp, consisting of between 20 and 40 caravans, first appeared on Wednesday, August 15.

When the travellers finally vacated the site last week, they left behind bin bags, along with piles of un-bagged rubbish, a gas cannister, while other items consisted of several shattered and cracked breeze blocks, piles of turf and a child’s car seat.

He added: "If the council can't take it away then myself and the landowners will be responsible for it.

"We haven't priced up the removal yet, but we think it will be around £5,000.