The band of travellers in around ten caravans arrived at the Myton Fields car park - across the River Avon from St Nicholas Park - on Monday.

The group, who say they are Romany gypsies, told the Courier they were staying at the riverside car park before visiting a horse fair in Kenilworth tomorrow (Saturday).

But officials at Warwick District Council, which owns the land, have warned that they will take legal action unless the travellers move on.
The arrival of the caravans caused alarm among residents. One elderly woman, who asked not to be named, said: "It looked awful. The whole thing looked run-down and rather suspicious.

"We all know what happens with these people. It becomes a dump within 24 hours. It is a lovely stretch of the river but it could become awful."

But the travellers insist they will leave no damage - and criticised Warwick District Council for closing toilets.

Corry Smith is one of the group. He said: "There is no problem here. We are not doing any harm."

Another, Henry Carroll, added: "At the end of the day there is no more burglary and thieving than your lot do in the town anyway. There is no difference between us and a fair turning up."

Young mothers at the site protested that the council had closed off toilets on Tuesday morning, preventing the travellers from washing their children.

One, who asked not to be named, said the group would like to stay until the weekend but added the council would probably obtain a court order to move the travellers before then.
She added: "We all get tarred with the same brush. You get a gang like us who keep everything tidy and there are others who make a mess.

"We are not hippies. It is our way of life. You live in houses and we live in caravans but if there are no sites for us to go to, we have to come to places like this."

District council spokesman Richard Brooker said: "We are keeping an eye on the situation. If they haven't gone by the weekend, we will be starting the legal process which means the police have the power to move them on."

The council's head of neighbourhood services Ian Coker denied that the council had closed public toilets at the site, and said the facilities were only open at weekends from April until July.

Warwickshire Police spokesman Kate Turner confirmed the force knew of the camp.

She added that if the council did obtain a court order, the police would attend any enforcement action to ensure there was no breach of the peace.