A popular play park was temporarily closed after a group of travellers gained access to it.

Knockhall recreation ground in Greenhithe was shut for around four hours so it could be cleaned.

There were around 15 to 20 caravans and other vehicles on the site on Tuesday.

Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council said in a statement: “We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but trust that you will appreciate the reasoning behind this decision.

“Fortunately, we are in a position to offer alternative play parks and play areas and open spaces that are located within short distances from this one.”

This includes Swanscombe Heritage Park, Valley View, Saxon Court and Eagles Road.

The park has now reopened, and the council has thanked those who helped remove the group.

It said: “Firstly can we thank the officers from Kent Police who organised the legal powers for eviction and also carried out the work on site to remove the travellers and escort them from the area.

“We would like to thank the officers from Dartford Borough Council who were in the process of taking legal action, should the police not be able to, but also in keeping the channels of communication open between all parties working on this, and attending site to speak to those within the encampment.

“A big thank you to our parks department and our out of hours contracts team from Night and Day Security for monitoring the site, guarding all of our others parks whilst the eviction was taking place and also spending a lot of time today cleaning and removing the litter and other waste left in the park.

“One final thank you to the residents. Thank you for showing patience with the situation, thank you for the respect and support you showed to our staff and finally for helping to make this possible by reporting incidents to Kent Police enabling them to act.

“We do hope that the community are now able to quietly enjoy our parks and open spaces over the coming bank holiday weekend.”