A GROUP of travellers who pitched up on a recreation ground have been ordered to leave within 24 hours.

Essex Countywide Traveller Unit (ECTU) visited the site this morning and served a Direction to Leave notice to the group, in Vista Road, Clacton. 

This requires the group to move on within 24 hours of receiving the notice.

The travellers, with eight caravans and a dozen vehicles, turned up on the land owned by Tendring Council on Sunday lunchtime just as a cricket match was getting underway.

They set up close to the railway line about half way down the field.

A couple of the caravans have since moved on but the others remain.

Should the rest of the group ignore the notice the unit will serve a court summons with a date for a hearing likely to be later this week or early next week.