A GROUP of travellers have moved onto their fourth site in Bradford in the past five weeks.

The travellers, who most recently had set up camp in Peel Park, have now moved onto playing fields in Harrogate Road, Eccleshill.

A member of the public claimed the travellers broke locks on gates to the fields to get in.

She said: "The people who parked on Peel Park have finally been evicted and have just moved down the road to Harrogate Road playing fields, breaking the locks to get in.

"This is the second time we’ve had them. The last time they were in the park they caused lots of damage.

"Now the fields are unusable, and they are parked right by the hospital. It must be a nightmare for them."

The group first arrived on private farm land in Cottingley on August 15 and left the grass littered with rubbish, breeze blocks and debris when a court ordered them to leave six days later.

The same group is believed to have moved to King George V Playing Fields, in Bolton Woods, causing Bolton Woods Junior Football Club games to be cancelled or re-arranged while Bradford Council officers took action to remove them from the land.

They then moved onto Peel Park, before coming to their current location in Harrogate Road.

Councillor Geoff Reid (Lib Dem, Eccleshill) said: "I understand a start has been made on enforcement action, my colleague Brendan Stubbs said things were in motion.

"It can take two to three weeks for this to complete, and I think they have been there since Tuesday."

Cllr Reid said Cllr Brendan Stubbs has received a letter from Bradford Council's parks and green spaces team about the travellers.

It read: "We try to pre-empt where travellers will go next.

"We have concerns over the Harrogate Road site as it is generally wet and boggy, and with the weather set to deteriorate they may be moving off soon.

"We have authorised campsites in Esholt and Bowling Back Lane, but this particular element of the traveller community are not interested in those."