Travellers have entered the Trinity Sports Ground, Southend, the third time this summer.

The group arrived at the sports ground last Wednesday when 16 caravans set up camp at the sports ground.

Emma, from the Trinity Football Club, was alarmed that the travellers may not move out before their big football tournament, which takes place on September 2 and 3.

“At the moment we have had to stop all our training. The young kids can’t train in the sports ground on the weekends and we’re not far from our big tournament. It’s a big disadvantage to them. The tournament takes eight to nine months to prepare and we have put in a lot of money for promotion. Teams come in from across Essex and outside of the county. I’m really worried the travellers won’t move out in time.”

The first time the travellers occupied the site was in July and the second time was on August 4.

Emma, who didn’t want to give her surname, added: “They’re scattered all over the field and they leave rubbish and faeces behind them.

“I think the council really needs to do something about it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.” A council spokesman said: “We are aware of travellers at the Trinity Sports Ground occupying our land without authorisation. They were served with a notice to leave the land on the day they arrived, Wednesday, August 16. As this has not happened, legal action has commenced and we are seeking a possession order through the courts.”

The council also confirmed the travellers who camped in Priory Park last week left the park on Monday afternoon.

Ann Holland, councillor for culture, tourism and the economy, said: “We are confident they will move out of Trinity before the big tournament. The council does have a good record in moving travellers out very quickly through a legal process.”

The council explained why they do not lock parks, saying: “In many high-risk areas we have measures in place such as bollards, fencing and gates in parks. However, there is no one-size fits all measure and when we introduce anything like locking our parks we have to consider all issues. For sports grounds we need to maintain vehicular access to ensure emergency services can enter the site.”