A LARGE group of travellers have left community playing fields – but pitched up next to a police station.

Around 40 caravans set up camp at Greenfield Community Centre, Green Lane, Mill Hill, on Wednesday afternoon.

They were asked to leave by the end of Saturday, but failed to do so and were served a notice to leave order by police on Saturday evening.

Yesterday they started to leave, but then parked up on the Focus car park close to Greenbank divisional headquarters.

Insp Ilyas Mohmed said: “Because the car park is private property, they will have to go court this morning and get a notice to serve on the travellers.”

Green Lane area councillor Brian Gordon, said: “This whole episode has totally inconvenienced local people who had booked the fields in Green Lane for sporting events that had to be cancelled.”

The travellers had previously been moved on from Haslingden Leisure Centre and told the Lancashire Telegraph they needed to be close to a hospital as two of their party were about to have babies.

A joint statement from Lancashire Police and Blackburn with Darwen Council said: “We have received a number of complaints regarding the travellers that have set up on the recreational ground next to Greenfield Community Centre.

“We are working closely together to address the issues and obvious concerns that their presence is causing to local residents.

“Whilst taking into account the needs of the travellers, they were in fact occupying a site that provides recreational space for local residents and we are aware that due to the presence of the travellers some recreational activities planned had to be cancelled.”