COUNCIL chiefs say travellers plaguing Warrington are not being moved on quickly enough because of delays in securing eviction orders.

The travellers have been moving from grass verges to parks to fields in Callands, Westbrook, Old Hall and Burtonwood throughout the summer. Residents have flooded the council and police with complaints about petty crime and rubbish left behind.

Gary Jones, from Westbrook, was one of a number of angry residents to contact the Guardian Midweek saying he was fed up with the amount of rubbish left on grass verges.

Now the council has said it has been working "swiftly" to gain County Court possession orders forcing the travellers to move on from Westbrook, Birchwood and Woolston, the source of residents' complaints.

Council spokesman Martin Wright said: "The procedure requires the travellers to be given two clear days' notice of proceedings and therefore the order cannot be implemented as quickly as the council or members of the public would like.

"Many complaints received from the public relate to allegations of anti-social and criminal behaviour. Cheshire police are aware of the issues and are committed to protecting the interests of all members of the community."