The arrival of travellers on a community field in Canterbury is alarming volunteers - but the group insist they won't leave a mess.

Around a dozen caravans moved on to Kingsmead Field last night, which led to a visit by council enforcement officers this morning.

Vehicles have set up next to a children's play area, and a tent can be seen on the riverbank.

Volunteer group Friends of Kingsmead Field, which has turned the field into a community asset, has raised concerns about the possibility of rubbish being left behind.

Spokesman Sian Pettman says urgent action is needed to stop easy access to the land in the future.

"Prevention is better than cure and we need better security and fencing," she said.

But speaking to KentOnline's sister paper, the Kentish Gazette, one of the travellers insisted they would leave the field as they found it.

He said: "We're not going to leave a mess. We will bag up our rubbish when we leave.

"We're not the same as some of the others. We're always tarred with the same brush."

He said they would be gone by the end of the day.

He also pointed out the state of nearby council estates, which he said are strewn with rubbish.

The city council says it is taking legal action to remove the travellers, which could take several days. They have been asked to leave by the end of the day.

A spokesman said: “Our enforcement team is aware that a group of travellers has set up camp at Kingsmead Field in Canterbury.

“The council will work as quickly as the law allows to move them on.”

It is not the first time travellers have occupied the site, which is popular with families and dog walkers.

Last June, they were blamed for leaving a mess and driving vehicles over recently-planted wild flowers.