RESIDENTS today backed plans to deal with travellers setting up unauthorised camps in Hyndburn borough.

The strategy, put forward by Hyndburn Council, follows recent problems with travellers on the former Karrimor site, on the Petre Road industrial estate in Clayton-le-Moors, on land along the King's Highway near Huncoat Quarry, and in Bradshaw Street, Church.

Under the new plan, travellers moving on to unauthorised sites in the borough will be presented with a code of conduct outlining how they will be expected to behave. It also sets out the procedure the council and police will follow from the moment they are notified about the site through to if an eviction procedure is necessary.

People living near land in Bradshaw Street, Church, near to Hyndburn Sports Centre - a popular site for travellers in recent years - today welcomed the strategy.

Donna Coster, 31, of Emma Street, said: "As soon as they come, you end up with rats and mice which get into your house. The travellers leave their rubbish behind and I've got a baby to think about.

"It probably brings property prices down too. It needs dealing with."

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said: "It's a good idea that they can move them on, otherwise they go wherever they want."

Councillor Jean Battle, who has recently helped to deal with problems caused by travellers camping in Bradshaw Street and in King's Highway, Huncoat, also supports the new guidelines.

She said: "I am pleased the council has pulled its finger out. It's extremely important to have a strategy in place to deal with this problem."

But she added more sites should be available in the borough for travellers.

She said: "Legitimate sites have gradually been closed over the years, leaving travellers with nowhere to go. We need to find somewhere suitable for them, not just anywhere, which at the present time is what they do."

The strategy's code of conduct includes keeping groups "small and inconspicuous", keeping the area clean and tidy, not allowing sites to become "polluted with human or animal faeces", keeping animals under control and not blocking rights of way.

It states that eviction action could be taken if travellers fail to comply with the code and if a camp creates an "intolerable nuisance" to the public because of its size, location, nature or duration, a hazard to road safety or health and safety, or causes damage to land or property.

Travellers' health, education, housing and welfare needs will be taken into account before any action is taken.

The council is aiming to avoid conflict and develop a level of trust and understanding with traveller communities.

Stephen Todd, the council's chief environmental services officer, said: "The strategy sets out how we would expect travellers to behave so they don't cause problems. It also outlines what triggers would bring on enforcement action."