A group of travellers who set up camp at an Aberdeenshire park have finally moved on.
The group arrived at Glebe Park in Drumoak around the end of May, and furious residents claimed they were unable to use the site due to the amount of waste left around it.
Last night, local resident Carean Clarke said she was delighted the travellers had moved on – and that the community was overwhelmingly relieved.
She said: “Speaking to other people in the community since, there is really a huge sense of relief for everyone; it has been a very distressing period for local residents.
“I have lived here for 20 years and this has absolutely been the worst encounter with travellers that I have ever experienced.
They have disrupted the whole community and have left human and dog faeces behind as well as toilet paper, which is just disgusting.”
The Aberdeenshire Council-run venue, which is fenced off and its gate bolted shut, is home to a football pitch and benches which are used by locals.
Now Mrs Clarke hopes permanent deterrents can be put in place to secure the site.
“I am definitely concerned that more travellers will come on to the site, so my next step is to start campaigning to get a metal height restriction on the entrance so that caravans are unable to enter the Glebe,” she said.
“I think there are a lot of concerns that travellers will simply return so the priority for the community is to ensure that this cannot happen in the future. People have had enough and it is obvious that something must be done.”
The local authority said yesterday they would continue to monitor traveller sites throughout the region.
She said: “We have established procedures of dealing with unauthorised traveller encampments and we will continue to use these tools to proceed as and when required.”
