TOUGHER barriers will be erected at the entrance to a piece of green land in Yate which remains fenced off this week after a group of travellers pitched up there.

A seven caravan-encampment appeared on the green on Longs Drive on Tuesday (September 22) afternoon, promptly sparking concern from local residents that the grass would be rendered unusable after the large vehicles turned the already wet area into a mud bath.

The group left the site on Thursday (September 24) night after being issued with a notice to leave by South Gloucestershire Council and the police sent officers to the site.

A clean-up operation is now in progress.

“Debris included broken glass and some human faeces,” said Yate town councillor Chris Willmore.

“There is a lot of clearing up but there has been no damage to the children’s play area on the green. It is just the debris and the fact the entrance is very muddy and now needs to dry out before we can reinstate it.”

The play area is now open to the public but the green itself is fenced off from use until the land dries out.

Cllr Willmore said the town council, which leases the land from South Gloucestershire Council, was now considering installing stronger, reinforced bollards to stop travellers gaining access to the green.

She said: “From the entrance it doesn’t look like a play area and it is perfectly understandable to think it is just waste land.

“Travellers don’t tend to go onto children’s play areas and they moved in just few a days. All in all it was a minor incident although we will have to spend money on clearing up.

“Steps are being taken to put in better defences and we are talking about putting bigger bollards in as we only have some fairly low wooden bollards before.

“We also need to make the entrance look more like a play area.”

She thanked nearby residents of Longs Drive for their patience while the land was out of use.