Swift and decisive action by Havering Council and police forced a convoy of travellers off Tylers Common in Harold Wood on Monday - just hours after they arrived.

The travellers began arriving on the council owned land off Shepherds Hill on Sunday evening.

Police served eviction notices to the occupants of the 20 caravans encamped there at around 10.30am the following morning, and by 1pm they had been moved on and out of the borough.

Council staff then dug a deep ditch to stop the travellers returning to the historic common, which is named after the leader of the 14th century Peasants' Revolt, Wat Tyler.

Harold Wood councillor and Mayor of Havering, Brian Eagling, said: "The local residents are very, very pleased. We don't want them in Harold Wood and we don't want them in Havering - we are just keeping our fingers crossed that they don't come back.

"I'm very pleased with the response of the community and the way that Inspector Colin Walsh of Havering police handled the situation. He did a tremendous job and he got them off with no hassle. It's brilliant."

The travellers are believed to have come from Thorndon Country Park South in neighbouring Brentwood, where they promptly returned.

The swiftness of the response in Havering has prompted one councillor there to call Brentwood a "soft touch" for travellers and accuse Essex County Council, which owns the park, of "dragging its feet" in evicting them.

He also called for new government legislation giving local authorities greater powers to deal with travellers.

Today (Thursday), Essex County Council had secured bailiffs to go onto the site and evict the travellers.

A spokesman said: "We've also been talking to our colleagues in Thorndon Country Park about taking measures to prevent them returning.

"We are looking at the boundaries to ensure that there are no easy access points."

Cllr Jean Mitchell, Havering Council's cabinet member for the environment, said: "I am delighted with the co-operation and partnership shown between the council and the police on this issue, and the speed at which the travellers were evicted from Tylers Common."

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