Travellers who invaded a field used for a popular car boot fair have finally left.

Around 20 caravans were pitched on land near Upnor after arriving on Tuesday night.

Car boot businessman Mark Greenfield rents the field and yesterday gave the travellers a deadline of noon today to leave.

At 8.30am today officers issued a section 61 order – this gives police the power to tell an encampment to leave once certain conditions are met. By 1pm they had moved on.

Mark said: "They complied with that and have gone, so we are now clearing up a little bit of rubbish. Apart from that we will put the cones back and we are on for Sunday.

"I am happy and I hope everyone else is too. I would like to thank the police and our local councillor Elizabeth Turpin for doing what she does.

"I am really happy and pleased. It should be busy on Sunday. We will be back to normal. Let's have a good day."

There were bags and discarded household rubbish left on the field off Anthony's Way but Mark expected there to be some and is now litter picking the site.

The section 61 will remain in place for three months.

Mark's popular boot fair will be going ahead on Sunday starting at 5am and he said there will be some police patrols throughout the weekend.

Members of the travelling community are also pitched up on the Pottery Road Recreation Ground in Hoo.

A spokesman for the parish council, which owns the park, said: "We are aware of the incident happening and are taking steps to resolve this situation."

Last night, caravans were also seen on Hempstead Playing Fields in Harrow Road, Gillingham. Police confirmed officers were called and are liaising with the local authority which is the landowner.

Ian Gilmore, Medway Council’s head of regulatory services, said: “We are following a civil legal process to move the group on as quickly as possible.”