Police and council officers are taking action after travellers moved onto a recreation ground in Chatham.

Residents near Barnfield Park say 21 caravans and multiple vehicles have been parked on the field, and believe a fence was cut to gain access.

Kent Police confirmed they were called at around 8.30pm yesterday to a report of an "unauthorised encampment” and that officers attended the scene.

They subsequently contacted Medway Council which owns the land, and the council is now following a civil legal process to move the group.

One resident said it was just the latest problem at the park, and that visits from nuisance bikers regularly made the park a no-go zone for other residents and families.

“It is ridiculous,” they said. “The Council are the land owners but they take minimal action. They have been aware of the fencing issues for years but have failed to deal with it. This means that travellers can easily trespass and bikes and quadbikes can easily access the land.

“The Council are totally incompetent. If this land was privately owned, the owners could be legally held to account on the basis of a statutory nuisance occurring on the land. However, as it is Council land they are above the law. Residents are being let down by their incompetence and lack of appetite to deal with the problems.”

Medway Council said they were doing everything they could to tackle reports of nuisance vehicles at Barnfield Recreation Ground, working with partner agencies, including the police.

They said CCTV cameras were in place at the recreation ground and footage could be used as evidence in criminal investigations, carried out by the police.

Earlier this year the council held public consultation to look into the impact of nuisance vehicles across Medway as it us considering putting a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in place – to give officers powers to issue fixed penalty notices. The council is currently looking through responses and a report will subsequently be prepared for Cabinet.

The council said residents are encouraged to continue reporting incidents of nuisance vehicles to the police.