HUNDREDS of pounds of public cash will have to be spent on a clear up after travellers left a Clacton site.

The group of travellers has been at the site in London Road for just under a week, leaving yesterday.

It is expected to cost hundreds of pounds to clear up the mess of bricks, soil, rubble and waste materials left behind.

The public purse will be left to foot the bill with Tendring Council forced to organise the clean-up.

The group of travellers moved on to join up with another group at the council-owned Jaywick Market site.

Council cabinet member Paul Honeywood said: “No doubt we will have a further price to pay when they leave Jaywick and have to deal with the inevitable rubbish left there.

“The council’s street scene team will be arranging for our contractors to send out a hit team to clear the mess as soon as possible - but it all comes at a cost.”

Mr Honeywood added the only way the travellers will leave the area is if they have no work.

“People who employ them are only encouraging them to stay around in Tendring even longer and that bill of around £20,000 spent on traveller issues this year will carry on going up and up,” he said.

Some of the Travellers on the land at Brooklands in Jaywick were served with a court summons today by the Essex Countywide Traveller Unit having previously been issued with a direction to leave.

Those that moved off London Road and on to Jaywick yesterday will be given a direction to leave, which will be followed up with a court summons should they not move within 24 hours.

Mr Honeywood said: “With Council budgets so tight we can well do without spending valuable cash and resources on this continual clear-up operation.

“We would urge residents to only employ bonefide local tradespeople who will have verifiable arrangements for waste disposal.

“If you have any doubts about anyone purporting to be able to carry out work cheaper than anyone else check them out by calling Essex County Council Trading Standards.”