POLICE have moved a group of travellers off land near Dovercourt beach huts.

The travellers arrived in the town on Tuesday.

They are said to have firstly driven onto the Tendring Council-owned Low Road playing field.

The group were then spotted in the car park next to Dovercourt Bay Lifestyles before again moving and driving down West End Lane.

They then set up camp between beach huts and the Essex County Council Recycling Centre on land owned by Tendring Council.

Staff from the council visited the travellers and have contacted the Essex Countywide Traveller Unit.

But police cars and vans turned up to the site from midday today to remove the group.

Nigel Brown, Tendring Council’s communication manager, said council staff will be checking the field for damage.

He said: “We can confirm the last of the travellers have left the site.

“It was a joint operation between Tendring Council, Essex Police and the Essex Countywide Traveller Unit.

“The police did a very good job in removing them from the land, they issued a section 61 notice, visited them on Wednesday night and told them they had to be off the site by midday today.

“They were all gone by about 12.30pm after some negotiations.

“To be fair they didn’t leave a lot of rubbish and what was there had been bagged up and we have removed it.

“We have now secured that site and it is now just a game of cat and mouse to see where they go next.”

The travellers pitched up in Dovercourt shortly after a group of travellers moved off land owned by Tendring Council at Vista Road Recreation Ground in Clacton and behind the Columbine Centre site in Walton.