TAXPAYERS will have to foot the bill to remove rubbish left by travellers in Radcliffe.

A total of 24 caravans and vehicles were ordered to leave land at Sailor Brow, Radcliffe New Road, last Thursday, following court action.

But mounds of rubbish were left on the land owned by a private firm, and another site owned by Bury Council.

Lorraine Chambers, from Bury Council, said: "The travellers settled on two sites in the same area -- one private land and one owned by the council.

"Obviously, the private land will be cleared by the owner, but the council will have to clean up the land that they own.

"If we had made the travellers stay until they moved all their rubbish we would have them on the land for much longer, which the public did not want."

A team of eight workers from Bury Council's Streetcare services started a clean-up of the parkland area on Friday.

But one resident said: "The travellers should be made responsible for the mess and pay for the damage which they caused."

Bury Council won a removal order at Bury Magistrates Court on Thursday, forcing the travellers from the land by around 3pm that day.

Police closed a section of Radcliffe New Road while the eviction took place.