A GROUP of travellers moved “just a few miles down the road” after being forced to leave a park by a court order.

At least six caravans have been pitched up in Shoebury’s Gunners Park for the last three weeks after initially ignoring Southend Council’s instruction to move on.

A court order gave them until Wednesday to leave the site, but the group moved just a few miles to Trinity Sports Club, off Royal Artillery Way, Southend.

And Tories in Southend have been highly critical of what they call a “severe lack of action” from council bosses.

Tony Cox leader of the Conservative party said: “It is ironic and seems the only people who seem to be welcome in Southend without a passport is the travellers.

“They have come through borough’s with legal sites so they obviously don’t want to use those sites.

“The Conservatives still believe the only way to deal with this is to have a public space protection order order or an injunction to stop this merry-go-round.”

But the Labour-led council administration insists it is doing all it can to deal with ongoing traveller problems.

Calls have been made in recent months for a borough-wide ban of travellers through a public space protection order.

Council leader Ian Gilbert said: “We are aware of the new camp at the sports centre, we’ve issued them with a final notice so if they don’t leave we will seek an application of a court order.

“It is nonsense from the Tories, people do not need a passport to come to Southend and nobody ever said that.

“We would not have a public space protection order granted in the way the Tories want and the Government is set to change the laws around travellers.”

Southend has battled a host of problems with travellers pitching up illegal in the borough in recent months.

Last month a large group of travellers pitched up in the Kursaal car park on the seafront.

Paul Thompson who runs Pebbles One Cafe and Baskin Robbins said he could not re-open and would not be doing so until the group had left the Rendezvous Casino car park at the Kursaal site.