A GROUP of travellers are locked in a legal battle with a council over moves to evict them from playing fields in Pendle.

Pendle Council successfully applied for an eviction order to move a group of about 20 caravans and other vehicles from Swinden Hall Playing Fields, Nelson, during a hearing at Burnley County Court yesterday.

But another group of travellers, who were represented by a solicitor, were granted an adjournment for 14 days to apply for a judicial review of the legal move to shift them from an unused strip of council-owned land between the fields and Reedyford Road.

Council solicitor Philip Mousdale, said: "It seems the court made the distinction between the playing fields, which are used and the other piece of land, which isn't as such.

"At least we have an order to get them off the playing fields, which was the priority and we're hoping to enforce that with the help of bailiffs by the end of the week.

"Some of the travellers may simply move on to this other piece of land, but we don't think they can all fit on there. In the end they may all move on in the next fortnight and the problem will disappear. It's all been very annoying."

The travellers initially set up camp on the disused land, but then more arrived and spread on to the playing fields.

The council said they had caused thousands of pounds-worth of damage and disrupted a cricket match due to be played on Sunday, which had to be cancelled.

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