A GROUP of French travellers who set up camp in Blackburn have moved to a leisure centre car park in Colne.

The 23 travellers from Strasbourg spent last week on a car park in the middle of the Ewood one-way-system, describing it as ‘a real paradise’, but moved on Sunday afternoon.

They set up around five caravans on the grass bank of the car park at Pendle Leisure Centre on Sunday evening, next to the recently opened Urban Altitude high-wire course.

Police were informed yesterday and Pendle Leisure Trust is likely to seek an order to get the group removed from their facility.

One user of the Urban Altitude course said: “It was a bit off-putting when we arrived but, once we were on the course, it was fine. The group weren’t a problem to us.”

Ewood residents praised the group for their cleanliness and the way they left the Blackburn site.

Coun Florence Oldfield, who represents the Ewood ward said: “I was impressed by how clean they were and the community have been left quite impressed.

“They tidied the site and left rubbish bags neatly in the corner of the site.

“Personally, when groups act in this way, I don’t have a problem with them and it would be lovely if more could act in the same way.

“However, I would prefer it if they didn’t break into sites and applied to park on designated private caravan sites in the area instead.”

Bolton Road resident Vera Colley said: “They’ve bagged everything up which was good so I just hope the council comes to collect it now.”

A member of the travellers’ group previously said they were on a three to four month holiday which started in Aberdeen.

She said they also planned to visit Manchester and London.