Travellers have finally left a community recreation ground after a council secured a court order against them.

Caravans were spotted on land off Gatland Lane, Fant, on Monday morning.

Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) officers visited the site that afternoon to perform a site assessment and welfare check, which is a legal requirement.

A notice was then served to the travellers, requiring them to leave by 3pm the following day. This was ignored.

MBC representatives then went to court yesterday to apply for a court order to force the group to move.

Matt Boughtoncor, borough councillor for Fant, said: “This is because the group failed to leave the site by 3pm on Tuesday as the eviction notice stated.”

The court order was granted, giving the group until 10am today to move. They left the park early this morning.

MBC has sent a team to the Gatland Lane land this morning to clear the park for public use.

Cllr Boughton added: “I will now be working with council officers to make sure the park is as secure as possible in the long term, but still accessible for all local residents.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved at MBC for acting as quickly as possible to remove the group safely.”