A gang of travellers who set up camp on sports pitches in Lichfield have been moved on. They arrived in Curborough Road about two weeks ago, bringing six caravans with them.

Residents in the area immediately complained that the travellers’ presence was scaring local children and preventing the use of the sports pitches at a traditionally busy time of year. Now Lichfield District Council has confirmed that the camp has been moved on and a clean-up operation has been carried out at the site, owned by the authority.

Richard King, director of development democratic and legal services at the council explained that the group had been trespassing on council-owned land.

Council staff visited the site with police and served a notice on the travellers, giving them 24 hours to vacate the site.

A spokeswoman for the authority said it was understood they left on Sunday night. Council staff cleared up the mess left behind at the sports pitches on Monday.

It is thought the travellers were the same group who were moved on from Whittington Barracks last month after a string of complaints.

The gang took up residence next to the barracks in the picturesque Lichfield village for around three weeks until they were finally moved on, leaving a trail of mess in their wake.

Staffordshire Regimental Museum, which is next to the barracks, had to cancel a special event, marking 500 Years of the Staffordshire Knot at War, because of the arrival of the camp.

Whittington Football Club was also left scrambling to find alternative pitches for scheduled matches, after being advised not to use the club’s usual pitches at the barracks while the caravans were on-site.

In that instance it was left to the Ministry of Defence, which owns Whittington Barracks, to move the travellers on.