The vice-chairman of a manufacturing company with a £5 million a year turnover has claimed travellers camped near his premises are damaging the professional image of his firm.

Clients from abroad - the firm gets 70 per cent of its business from exports - have been forced to step over human excrement and suffer racial abuse to get to Smith Flow Control Ltd on the Eastways Industrial estate, Witham.

Now Michael Smith has written to Home Secretary Jack Straw demanding tougher action on travellers.

He is angry not enough action has been taken on the travellers camped on open land on the edge of the industrial estate.

Both staff and customers, he said, had been verbally abused, cars had been damaged and rubbish strewn over a wide area.

Mr Smith said his firm, which manufactures products for the oil and gas industries, has had problems on and off for years.

He added: "We had a visit by a South African client who was greeted to the entrance of our offices by racist taunts from children.

"I've also encountered on many times human excrement outside our main entrance. This angers me when we're trying to project a professional image.

"I'm concerned about the effect this is having on the business. The 50 employees who work here are so worried about their cars being damaged that they can't keep their minds on the job.

"I don't have a problem with travellers but what I want is consideration and for them to be good neighbours. We don't want this area to turn into some kind of battle zone."

Essex County Council gipsy liaison officer John Bourne said legal action had been taken and the travellers would be banned from the site within the next few days.

Sgt Dave Bouckley, of Witham police, said officers had been working with Essex County Council to persuade the travellers to leave. He added: "We have had a number of complaints and there is a great deal of inconvenience being caused."

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