Travellers who have set up camp illegally on two sites in Salford have been ordered to leave by council officers.
Scores of caravans arrived at Princes Park in Irlam on Sunday 12 July at around 4pm.
At the same time between 30 and 40 wagons set up camp on green space in Walkden at the junction of Bolton Road and Hill Top Road, near the entrance to Blackleach Country Park.
SalfordOnline.com was inundated with pictures of the illegal trespassing.
Local residents are concerned about the state of the land that the travellers leave when they eventually move on.
Previous reports told of dumped scrap metal, food rubbish, clothing and gas cylinders causing potential health hazards.
This is not the first time that travellers have parked up illegally in Salford.
In September 2012 we reported how travellers had illegally set up camp at Blackleach Country Park, causing the temporary closure of the Visitors’ Centre. They were then asked to move to the council-run travellers’ site at Duchy, Salford.
The Duchy Road site was also the scene of a court battle in January 2014 when a gypsy family were ordered to leave after setting up an unauthorised plot.
Salix Homes took over the management of the site in 2011 and have served a ‘Notice of Unauthorised Encampment’ on several travellers in the past.
A spokesman for Salford City Council today said: “We are aware that travellers moved onto land in Irlam and Walkden yesterday.
“We have already begun the legal procedure to move them on.”
[ Update:] Just 24 hours after being evicted from Irlam and Walkden, travellers moved to two new sites at Cadishead Park and St Mary’s Park in Walkden
