Work to move travellers on from parkland in Grange Farm, Kesgrave, is due to continue today, more than two weeks after travellers first arrived.

A group of four caravans turned up on Monday, June 15, at the piece of land between Cardew Drift and The Farmhouse pub in St Isidores.

Staff from Suffolk Coastal district and Suffolk county councils carried out welfare checks on the travellers as per legal requirements, where a man and a woman were found to be receiving urgent medical treatment, leaving them unable to leave the site.

The pair were released from hospital later that week, before council staff issued an eviction notice on Friday last week requiring the travellers to move from the Suffolk Coastal-owned land within 48 hours.

However, the situation was complicated over the weekend when the man was re-admitted to hospital and a number of new caravans arrived, bringing the total number of people up to 11.

A Suffolk Coastal spokesman said: “Our staff, together with colleagues from Suffolk County Council, will return to the site today to carry out a further check on the new arrivals, as they are required to do by law before any action can be taken.

“We are also trying to get more detailed information on the situation with the traveller who is currently in hospital.

“We are currently assessing our options to see what action can be taken to remove the travellers from the site.”

Concern had been raised by local residents that the travellers may have driven on the adjacent cycle path to access the site, which has no direct road access. The district council spokesman added: “Although we recognise this is not an ideal situation, our staff have been working with the travellers, as well as our partners at Suffolk County Council and the police, to resolve the matter as quickly and legally as possible in difficult circumstances.

“We would like to apologise to local people and regular users of this parkland for any inconvenience being caused by the encampment.

“However, the reality is that if we do not follow this process properly and fully, any necessary legal action in the future could be rendered null and void, so would cause further delay in the long run.”