An encampment of Travellers currently residing at Tremorvah playing field in Truro is to move on by Monday morning.

A fleet of caravans set up camp at Tregurra Park and Ride – private land belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall - last Monday, and upon being moved on, settled at Tremorvah late on Tuesday evening.

A spokesperson for Truro City Council, which owns the playing field, said it had been working closely with Cornwall Council and the Gypsy and Traveller Liaison Officer from Devon and Cornwall Police.

Council officers visited the site yesterday and met with members of the travelling community to serve an eviction notice.

“An agreement has been made that the site will be vacated on the morning of Monday, July 15,” said the spokesperson. “This will allow sufficient time to arrange the necessary clean-up operation of the site and make it safe once it has been vacated.”

Cllr Dulcie Tudor, Cornwall councillor for Threemilestone and Chacewater, said there was also evidence of traveller activity at Langarth park and ride.

“The council has asked Kestrel Guards to increase checks overnight at Langarth where possible BUT nothing can be done to prevent them simply driving in during the day if they choose to go there when they're evicted from Tremorvah,” she said in a Facebook post.

The action follows a number of similar incidents across the county. In April, China clay giant Imerys saw travellers pitch up in the car park of its Par laboratories. Because it is private land, the company could not call on Cornwall Council to take action, and the police had to view the matter as a civil issue rather than a criminal one.

The travellers, who were said to have arrived from another location in the county, moved on after a couple of days.

And earlier this month, Newquay Sports Centre evicted travellers from its lower sports field and employed a security team to provide reassurance to gym users.

Across the county, there is a recognised shortage of pitches for travellers. The adopted Cornwall Local Plan for 2020-2030 identified a total need of 318 residential pitches and 60 transit pitches by 2030. To date 149 private residential pitches and 15 social transit pitches have been approved.