UPDATE: Travellers leave Abbey Fields

Around three caravans got onto land on the east side of the fields near Finham Brook by Bridge Street at about 10pm on Tuesday September 19.

The barrier near the small road leading up to the swimming pool had been damaged, but it is not known if the travellers deliberately damaged it to access the land.

And three more caravans joined the group on Wednesday September 20.

But this whole had left on Thursday morning at around 10.30am. It is thought they are heading to land off Thickthorn Island where the horse fair will be held this weekend.

Speaking on Wednesday morning, Warwick district councillor for Abbey ward Michael Coker said: “It’s a great nuisance. It seems to be an increasing problem in the two or three days before the horse fair.”

The horse fair takes place Saturday September 23 and Sunday September 24, and is the last one of the year. Drivers have once again been advised to avoid the area.

Following an ‘unprecedented’ amount of crimes and complaints at the last horse fair in July, fair organisers have agreed to ban the sale of catapults and create a ‘buffer zone’ so caravans do not get too close to nearby properties.

One nearby resident who had his window smashed during July’s fair said he felt ‘under siege’ when the fairs arrive.

And in a recent Kenilworth Town Council meeting, Cllr John Cooke said residents will ‘live in fear’ of travellers when horse fairs arrive until permanent sites are found.