URGENT moves to evict travellers who have set up a camp on Skipton's Aireville Park have been started by police and Craven District Council chiefs.

About 30 traveller caravans and vehicles were driven onto the site during Monday evening. It is believed that they got in by removing one of the locks from the park gates.

Police and bailiffs moved swiftly to start eviction procedures on Tuesday morning.

There are fears that unless the travellers move on soon preparations for Skipton Gala on June 10 could be disrupted.

Their caravans and vehicles are parked in the area where the Marshall Waddington funfair is due to start setting up a week on Sunday, June 4. The travellers are also believed to have some horses on the field.

It is thought the group has moved from a site in Silsden and may be on the way to the Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria, which starts on June 8.

John Dawson, councillor for the Skipton North ward, which contains Aireville Park, said that the arrival of the travellers was "a very selfish act."

He said: "This is very disappointing and I hope all the correct steps are taken to remove them as soon as possible.

"This is the second time this has happened recently in the ward - there was a group on the Coach Street car park last year. They moved on in two or three days, so hopefully that will happen in this case.

"The park is a very important public facility which should be for the benefit of the entire community, and to deny people the use of it is a very selfish act."

One of the first Skipton residents to see the camp was Matthew Jones, who was walking his dog at 5.30am on Tuesday.

He said: "I noticed a humming noise at first, then heard their generators which were making quite a racket as I got nearer. There is at least one horse that I could see too. I contacted the police but they already knew about the group being there. It's not on -the park is for everybody in Skipton."

Craven District Council chiefs were quick to reassure townsfolk that steps were being taken to evict the travellers.

In a statement released on Facebook on Tuesday morning, a spokesman said: "We are aware that a group of travellers are currently on Aireville Park, Skipton.

"We're following the correct procedures, police and bailiffs are on site and we hope they will move on as soon as possible."

A statement later the same day said: "There are about 30 unauthorised vehicles on land at Aireville Park. We are working with our legal advisors to resolve the situation.”