Residents have raised concerns after travellers have returned to a field on Bestwood Park with one saying a ‘dog has attacked somebody’.
Travellers set up camp on the playing field between Beckhampton Road and Southglade/Eastglade Road, Bestwood Park on Friday (June 23).
This comes less than a year after travellers were evicted from the same site after Nottingham City Council obtained a court order.
Chairman of UKIP Nottingham Francesco Lari lives near the site on Chippenham Road and said: “A dog attacked somebody – they have dogs and one of them I think attacked a resident but it wasn’t serious.
“I think there are 10 caravans there at the moment but there were 20 last year and some arrived much later on and I’m worried it could be the same situation.
“The real concern is that it’s not a suitable campsite.”
Mr Lari said the solution the council provided did not stop the travellers from re-entering the site.
He said: “It took three weeks to clear them last time and it’s very similar to the problem they had last year – there was a broken gate and they used that for access.
“The council repaired the gate but bits of fence along from the gate were broken as well and tree trunks were put in place to stop vehicle access.
“However the travellers moved in this Friday after moving the trunks out of the way.”
A local resident, who did not wish to be named, has been knocking on doors in Bestwood asking people to sign a petition to get the fence fixed and said residents are not happy with the travellers returning.
He said: “On Friday they moved onto the site at the back of me – they’re only around 40 feet away.
“I usually have to walk across the field they are on to get to the bus stop to get to the shops and a PSCO on the field said the travellers are back on the site they were on last year.
“Logs were put down to prevent vehicles from getting on the site but they were totally inadequate at stopping people – they are not fit for purpose.”
A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: “There is already a legal possession order in place for the Beckhampton Road playing field site.
“If the travellers do not leave the site today then further legal action will begin immediately.
“Preventative measures were taken when travellers accessed the site last year involving heavy logs being sunk into the ground.
“However, the travellers used a vehicle with special lifting equipment to remove the logs to get onto the site which the Council will be reporting to the Police as potentially criminal activity.
“We will always consider what steps can be taken to prevent illegal encampments on council land and we always take swift legal action to remove travellers where necessary.”
