Travellers left a popular recreation field just as the city council was about to send in the bailiffs.

They had moved onto the Beverely Meadow on Friday night with more caravans and vehicles joining the group over the weekend.

But the council were powerless to get legal measures to move them until the courts re-opened at the start of the new week.

Enforcement officers visited the site over the weekend to carry out obligatory welfare checks.

On Tuesday morning officials gained the court order for their removal but they had already packed up and left before it needed to be served.

City council spokesman Leo Whitlock said: "Although there was a small amount of litter left behind, which has now been cleared, the site was relatively clean. Our CCTV team is monitoring the rest of the district."

It is not the first time travellers have pulled onto the site. Last June around 20 caravans parked up on the meadow for about five days.

Last month travellers also got onto the Kingsmead Field in Canterbury over a weekend but left before a court order was needed.