TRAVELLERS who had set up camp on playing fields in Norton overnight have now moved off the site, the council has confirmed.

Residents reported seeing a convoy of around a dozen cars and caravans as they moved onto the Lea Vale playing fields off Albermarle Road at around midnight last night (Tuesday).

Police and Dudley Council were alerted and Norton councillor Laura Taylor told the News this morning that officers and bailiffs were on their way to the site - which is close to St Joseph's Primary School.

Stourbridge News:

She has since confirmed the caravans have now moved off the site and she said: “Because we’ve got a transit site in place we could serve a section 62 notice on them…because we’ve been able to do that police have been down to the site and we are able to force them to leave.”

Stourbridge News: Cllr Laura Taylor (inset) and the entrance to Lea Vale playing fields...pic - Google Street ViewCllr Laura Taylor (inset) and the entrance to Lea Vale playing fields...pic - Google Street View

Cllr Taylor, Dudley Council's cabinet member for housin and community services, said the borough’s transit site in Coseley had been proving it is worth its weight in gold – allowing the council to swiftly move on travellers who set up illegal encampments on open spaces in the Dudley borough and she reiterated: “We have no tolerance for travellers who set up illegal encampments within our borough.”

A similar situation happened when travellers moved into Swan Pool Park in Stourbridge last month. After a section 62 notice was served – the group vacated the site within less than 24 hours of having moved onto the park on May 21.