TRAVELLERS have set up camp in a grassed area of York in which a children's playground is situated.

Dringhouses & Woodthorpe councillor Stephen Fenton said the travellers arrived late afternoon yesterday, driving into a grassed area at the end of Principal Rise, Dringhouses, in the centre of which is a children's playground.

"Vehicles have been coming and going, making the area unsafe for local children to use," he said.

"A well-used cycle and footpath runs through the area currently occupied by the travellers. The absence of toilet facilities is an obvious concern for the residents whose homes are immediately adjacent to the site.

"The council’s Neighbourhood Enforcement team is taking the necessary legal steps to have the travellers removed as soon as possible."

Travellers have previously camped on two other sites in the Dringhouses area this summer: All Saints School playing fields near York College and a site near Askham Bog nature reserve, both of which they vacated after being ordered to leave by the council.