Rotherham Council and police pledge to move on travellers as football club cancels training over safety fears

ROTHERHAM Council says it is working with the police to move on dozens of caravans which have been pitched up at a playing field.

Traveller vans arrived at Wingfield Rec, off Roughwood Road in Kimberworth Park, earlier this week.

Greasbrough Youth FC, who play on the field, cancelled training sessions, saying on social media that they had been “advised not to train on the pitches while cars are constantly circling the field”.

The club said in a further post on Tuesday: “The compound was broken into this afternoon with kids inside.

“We called the police. The police attended and we were told we could get empty the compound of anything valuable.

“By the time we had got there, the police had been attacked by kids throwing coke cans at them.

“We were then told we couldn’t enter the compound as the kids will just follow us in and start taking stuff, which would then escalate into a full blown riot.

“We were then asked to leave as kids started to threaten to throw cans at our cars.

“The police made us leave. Basically we just have to wait until they get evicted and then clean up, replace and repair everything they have wrecked.

“The compound had kids in whilst we were there who were throwing stuff around and nets have been smashed the fence has also been ripped down.

“The council apparently won’t issue the eviction due to the aggression shown by them.

“We will continue to do all we can to make it a safe place for the kids to play football.”

An RMBC spokesperson said: “The council and police received reports of caravans arriving in the Kimberworth Park area and enforcement action was taken before the group moved on to a green space on Roughwood Road.

“The council is working in partnership with the Police and legal proceedings have now been started to remove the group.”