An unauthorised gypsy-traveller camp set up on a prestigious north-east golf course over the weekend could be gone within days.
Management at the Royal Aberdeen club – which will host the Scottish Open in July – have applied for a court order to have the encampment removed.
The small group pitched up in the Bridge of Don club’s overflow car park on Sunday afternoon, sparking fears that the forthcoming tournament could be affected.
Ronnie MacAskill, professional golfer and director of golf at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, said: “The travelling people pitched up here on Sunday afternoon and took over our overflow car park, it was just a small group of caravans and trucks and cars, and this morning we started the process of trying to get our car park back.
“There’s a larger process you go through and I think we’ll have the land back before the middle of the week.
“They are not like some of these big groups. They are just a small number, there’s just about half a dozen travellers.”
Mr McAskill, meanwhile, insisted that the camp “will not in any way” disrupt the Scottish Open.
The event takes place from July 10-13 and will include the likes of Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose.
Mr MacAskill added that the group of travellers had not made a mess on the site, and had not been on the golf course itself.
Staff have also advised the group to avoid letting children onto the course as a safety precaution.
Bridge of Don councillor Willie Young said the situation highlighted the need for Scottish Government backing for the Labour-led administration’s plans for a bylaw on illegal camping in various areas of the city.
He said: “We need a bylaw and we need a bylaw as soon as we can.
“It’s disgraceful that they are there in the first place and it’s disgraceful that the golf club have had to use their own money to get the travellers to leave.”
The proposed bylaw would prohibit overnight camping on designated areas of public land in the city, such as parks.
The city council has spent more than £70,000 moving travellers and cleaning up after problem encampments in the past year.