A park-and-ride car park which was set up as a temporary site for a nomadic group of Travellers has now been occupied for six months.

Around 11 caravans were stationed in the Wigmore Coach Park and Ride Car Park, just off the M2, in July last year.

The coach park in Maidstone Road, near Bredhurst, was intended to be a temporary site for three months.

However, despite being served legal notices which requested the group to leave by October 9, they still remain at the site.

As a temporary licence was granted rather than it being an illegal encampment, Medway Council is required to pursue possession of the site through the courts.

The council has provided toilets for the group at the site, which has previously been used by people who commute to London on the Kings Ferry coach services.

There are no current plans to turn the facility into a permanent Traveller site.

It comes amid a national shortage of approved stopping sites and facilities for Travellers following the nomadic tradition.

To find out more about the work being done to evict unauthorised encampments and the tough balancing act police face when attempting to address issues facing the often marginalised Gypsy, Romany and Traveller community click here.

Speaking in July, Cllr Tris Osborne, Medway Council’s portfolio holder for community safety and enforcement, said: “We have a legal requirement to work with the group, and our partners, to ensure that they receive the advice and support that they need.”

The council has confirmed it is still following the legal process to move the group on as quickly as possible.