Extra security measures are to be installed at parks and opens spaces in Wellington which might be vulnerable to unauthorised traveller encampments.

The town council has been carrying out an audit of its open spaces to identify those which could be targeted by travellers in the future.

It follows an unauthorised traveller encampment at Hoyles Road earlier this summer which was quickly and effectively dealt with by Wellington Town Council and partner agencies.

The council’s chief executive, Dave Farrow, said: “The recent experience at Hoyles Road has demonstrated that unauthorised access can occur and, when it does, it is disruptive and upsetting for local residents and expensive to resolve.”

Members of the council’s environment committee were told on July 8 that the audit had identified four open space areas at higher risk of unauthorised encampments where additional security measures were recommended – The Playing Field, Hoyles Road, Burrough Way and Cox Road.

Councillors agreed to support a plan to extend the existing fencing at the Playing Field in Wellington from the cricket nets round to the entrance at the Beech Grove car park at a cost of £12,000.

A report said the extra fencing would also have the added benefit of discouraging dog walkers, pedestrians and cyclists from cutting the football and cricket pitches from that end of the Playing Field.

It was also supported to install mounds of earth with a concrete brick barrier buried within the bund for the open spaces at Hoyles Road, Burrough Way and Cox Road at a further cost of £9,900.

Mr Farrow told councillors that he felt improving security at the open spaces was important before travellers returned, but added there was no money in the budget for the project.

“There is no funding for this for this year,” he said. “Any money spent this year would have to come out of general reserves.”

Mr Farrow said that moving the travellers from Hoyles Road earlier this year had cost up to £8,000, although the council had been praised for its rapid response and having the site cleared within a couple of days.

He said that it sometimes takes up to two weeks to sort out unauthorised encampments and at a cost of £20,000.

Councillors were advised that the council should not rest on its laurels after the success of the earlier Holyes Road incident – as they might not be so lucky if it happened again.

Councillors did suggest that people might not like the idea of the extra fencing going in at the Playing Field, but Cllr Janet Lloyd said “tough.”

“If people don’t want us spending £20,000 on getting rid of travellers, then we should put in the fence and if they don’t like it – that’s tough,” she said.

Cllr Lloyd said the council would need to get the work done as quickly as possible as any delay would put the authority at risk of having further illegal encampments.

A final decision on the works will be made by the full council on August 3.