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Travellers who set up camp next to a B&Q store have begun to leave the site after police descended this afternoon.
Around 20 mobile homes moved onto the Barker Road Car Park in Maidstone at about 8pm on Tuesday, September 8.
At around 3pm on Wednesday around 20 police officers arrived at the site before "engaging" with the owners of the vehicles. It is understood a notice of eviction was served on behalf of Maidstone Borough Council (MBC).
The presence of the encampment led to the nearby McDonald's restaurant in Hart Street to suspend dine-in meals on the grounds of safety due to the ongoing situation in the car park.
Area manager Nasser Lahrache said while no one can currently eat in, takeaway, drive-thru and deliveries remain unaffected.
Broadway News on the corner of Barker Road also opted to close early.
A number of the vehicles which arrived at the site last night display no number plates, one of them has been hooked up to a generator and there are visible food droppings and bags of rubbish in the car park, which is directly opposite Maidstone Crown Court.
The car park is run by MBC and is at the side of the B&Q DIY store.
A council spokesman said: "Maidstone Borough Council is aware of a number of vehicles that have arrived overnight and are parked illegally in the Barker Road car park.
"Council officers are in the process of engaging with the unauthorised encampment in order to effect a satisfactory resolution to the matter as quickly as possible."
The operation to clear the car park of the mobile homes began when two police cars and an MBC van arrived this afternoon and officers were seen handing over papers to the group and sticking notices on mobile homes.
A police spokesman said: "Kent Police was called at around 5.55pm on Tuesday to reports of travellers parked on a car park in Barker Road, Maidstone.
"Officers liaised with the land owners and on Wednesday issued the travellers with a direction to leave notice under Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. The travellers left the area later the same day."
After leaving the initial site, a smaller group were later seen in the car park of Asda Living in St Peter’s Street. However by Thursday morning they had moved on.
