CUMBRIA Police have taken action after residents raised the alarm over a number of caravans pitched up on land owned by South Lakeland District Council.

Officers in Kendal have followed up on the reports that travellers had set up camp on the council-owned playing fields at Sandylands Road in the town on the evening of Monday, August 1.

SLDC officers are also attending the site to attempt to settle the issue.

A spokesman from SLDC said:

"The council's Locality Team is working with Cumbria Police to engage with a group of Travellers who arrived on the council's playing fields at Sandylands Road, Kendal, on Monday evening (1 August).

"Council and police officers will be visiting the site this morning (Tuesday) to engage with the Travellers and to advise them that camping on council land without permission is unlawful. 

"A welfare assessment will also be carried out.

"We are hopeful that the situation can be resolved swiftly and amicably without any recourse to legal action."

Cumbria Police responded:

"Officers will be joining South Lakes District Council as they conduct a visit to the site today. 

"We respond to such matters from a multi-agency perspective."