Travellers asked to leave playing fields in Stanley

The caravans entered the Ferry Lane fields over the weekend and have caused disruption, not least to Stanley United Juniors football teams who had to cancel pre-season training.

But following mounting pressure from residents, Wakefield Council issued a statement this morning saying: “The travellers at Ferry Lane, Stanley have been issued with a notice to quit.

“This means they should be vacating the land today, however, if they fail to do so we will need to go to court to get them removed which may take longer.”

“Once the travellers have vacated the land a team of street scene operatives will inspect the land for any waste and rubbish left behind.

“Once this is done the council will arrange for a specialist team to attend and clean the site as soon as possible.”

The council also said travellers on Harrison Street car park in Wakefield have also been issued with a notice to quit, as have those pitched up at Pemberton Road in Castleford.

The council says those on Redhill Avenue, Castleford, should now have moved on or be in the process of leaving the land today.

Travellers at Aketon Lane in Castleford were issued with a notice but have ignored the request to leave.

As a result, a liaison officer is due in court tomorrow to obtain the legal documentation to be able to forcibly remove them from the site.