Wooden bollards at a distance of 1.4m apart are to be erected around the boundary of a park to prevent travellers from coming back.

Travellers have illegally set up camp on Ripon Park in Borehamwood six times in the past four months.

Hertsmere Borough Council hope the £40,000 posts will protect the site.

The council’s environment and transport portfolio holder Cllr Seamus Quilty says the travellers can leave behind “an awful mess” when they leave the park.

On10 October, he approved the installation of the wooden bollards at a specially convened ‘executive portfolio holder decision’ meeting.

Following the meeting, Cllr Quilty said: “When the travellers leave its an awful mess and we have to have contractors to tidy up.

“Last time they left behind 10 maybe 15 bags of household rubbish – and it looked as if there was quite a lot of toilet paper in the bushes.

“The bollards will allow full access to the park and will look like a natural barrier, so residents would still be able to to use the park to the fullest extent – but at the same time it will be protected.

“This is expensive but at the end of the day its the only way to protect the park.”

The council already has six traveller sites in the borough – with 59 authorised residential pitches.

But in recent years it said there has been an “unprecedented increase” in the number of unauthorised encampments, locally and nationally.

Just two years ago, in 2016/17 Hertsmere recorded no unauthorised traveller sites. In 2017/8 there were five. But since April this year there have been 16.

Recorded encampments this year have included Park Avenue, King George recreation ground and Little Bushey Lane football pitch site, in Bushey, as well as Parkfields in Potters Bar.

And in Borehamwood, travellers have also set up on Brook Meadow, Meadow Park, Kenilworth Park, Potterswood and Ripon Park.

The officer’s report says the work is considered “urgent”, as a return to the Ripon Park site by the travellers – who are banned from there for three months – “cannot be ruled out”.

The report adds: “The council accepts its responsibility to support traveller’s lifestyles and the council has provided a total of six sites in the borough with 59 authorised residential pitches with a further three sites being considered.