TRAVELLERS who have set up camp at the side of the M65 were today blasted for causing commuter chaos on one of the busiest roads in East Lancashire.

More than 60 caravans have been set up as a temporary home at the site of a new service station at junction four near Darwen. The development will include a Little Chef and McDonalds.

The travellers, who come from as far afield as Ireland and Poland, are creating mayhem because the camp is close to an access road and huge dumper trucks are being forced to manoeuvre around it.

The camp includes an articulated lorry, about 60 caravans, numerous cars, three-piece suites and children playing in the road.

Nearby residents have also complained about people using the land as a public toilet and attempting to sell the three-piece suites in the area.

The travellers are reported to have turned up en masse at the site last Monday and since then they have caused concern among local residents, commuters, council officials and the police.

Marion Hope, 77, of Oaksfield, Darwen, said: "They've been there since Monday. We went to Bury that day and they passed us on the road coming this way."

Jenny Naylor, 82, of Oaksfield, Darwen, said: "It's a bit unnerving because you don't know what they can get up to, they are so close to our buildings."

Margaret Walsh, 59, Scheme Manager for Twin Valley Homes, said she was aware of the problem. There are about 56 caravans down there. Somebody went down and counted them.

"My husband goes there with the dog and he said they are using it as a public toilet. They've also been going around trying to sell three piece suites door-to-door, I've told the elderly living here not to open their doors to them.

"We told Councillor Michael Barrett and he's going to get on the case."

Coun Barrett, of Earcroft ward, said he was told about the travellers at the beginning of the week and he looked into it immediately.

"I spoke to the council's legal officers and was told that the land is privately owned and, as such, the prime responsibility lies with the landowner to remove the travellers.

"I am led to believe the owner has taken action and there will be an attempt to remove them.

"This is the first stage, because if they refuse to to go willingly then the owner of the land has to go back to court again, probably on Monday, to get an injunction and to force them to move within seven days.

"The travellers know the law better than I do, but they may well leave tomorrow as there will be a police presence there."

"We are concerned about a number of complaints about noise and people using the land as a public toilet, I've asked the environmental health department to check that out. The local authority and the owners of the land are doing all that they can and as quickly as the law lets them."

DJ Mark Kaye, who lives in Rossendale and commutes along the M65 to Preston where radio station Rock FM is based, said: "I saw them the other day running riot near to the motorway, particularly the children and I just thought how incredibly dangerous it was.

"We talked about it on the show and loads of people said they had seen the same.

"It provoked a huge response from listeners calling in saying that they had had problems too. The fact they are so close to the motorway is worrying a lot of people too."

John Marshall, general manager of Marshall Buildings Construction Ltd, the company building on the site said: "It has caused an awesome obstruction. There are children and dogs running around and playing on the site. It's so dangerous.

"We're building a 50-bedroom Travelodge to a very tight programme and it needs to be finished by the middle of November. It's interfering with work and they need to be moved on as soon as possible."