This picture shows how in just three weeks travellers have turned a carefully tended community football pitch into a rubbish dump.

The Old Porcelain sports ground in Droitwich Road, Worcester, was left littered with human and animal faeces, smashed glass and fast food litter.

Groundsmen and players from Worcester Raiders and Droitwich Spa Eagles FC, who train on the pitch, were left shocked by the scale of the rubbish and damage left behind.

Landowner Baljinder Singh eventually got rid of the Irish travellers by paying them off on Wednesday.

The teams have been left with the cost of the clear-up, after travellers camped nearly 50 vehicles on the site three weeks ago.

Kevin Jenkins, Worcester Raiders treasurer, said the travellers left at 7.30pm on Wednesday.

He and Steve Sparkes, groundsman and Droitwich Spa Eagles FC manager, praised their team-mates, their partners and families who came down and cleared up the rubbish yesterday.

“I was almost in tears because these good, hard-working people have come down on days off, or given up a day of work, with their partners to help,” said Mr Sparkes.

“If it wasn’t for them, places like this wouldn’t exist.”

But he said everyone felt let down by the city council and the police.

He said: “They’ve all come out the woodwork now the travellers have gone.

“It’s amazing, the effort that has been put in – we will not be defeated.” The police said they were unable to remove the travellers under legal powers, because Mr Singh had not got a court order. Chief Insp Jerry Reakes-Williams said police had been on the site “a number of times per day” to do what they could, and officers were praised by Jane Dallard, who runs the neighbouring Abberley House Nursery, as “excellent”.

Meanwhile, a 60ft skip was filled with rubbish before the volunteers decided to burn the rest. Among the debris left was a water butt and empty gas canisters.

The travellers also appear to have stolen the ground’s plumbing system, but in doing so blocked up the site toilets which were left brimming over with faeces.

During their stay, travellers were also thrown out of the nearby Raven pub with the help of police.

Officers say the travellers had now left the county heading north

The Raiders have been offered the playing fields at RGS The Grange School.

A trench is now being dug around the field and a second gate will protect the changing rooms and storage units.

Chief Insp Reakes-Williams said: “We co-ordinated action with environmental health, the councils and councillors on this issue.

Rubbish bags were issued to the travellers, we co-ordinated a site clean-up in the first week and tried to deal with criminal offences as they’ve been reported.”

He said a vehicle-related offence was being investigated.

Travellers asked for money to leave site

‘CHEEKY’ travellers asked for a pay-off to leave the football ground where they pitched up, according to the landowner.

Baljinder Singh, who owns the old Worcester Porcelain ground in Droitwich Road, said lengthy discussions with the travellers “got a result”, after he paid them to leave.

His hand was forced after Worcester City Council threatened action against Mr Singh over planning infringements, using the land as a temporary caravan site, and the rubbish on the site.

Mr Singh said he had established a dialogue with the travellers and had wanted to keep the matter out of the courts, when he got a letter from the city council.

He said the three-week battle to get rid of the travellers meant he and his family had now decided to sell the ground for £250,000. And he revealed he turned down a £240,000 cash offer from the travellers themselves.

“The travellers demanded that we as landowners pay the caravan owners about £100 each and I counted about 38 to 48 caravans, so that was going to cost around £4,000,” he said.

“We then had a gentlemen’s agreement that they would go within 24 hours and they stuck to their side of the bargain.”

He would not reveal how much he had paid the travellers to leave.

“We were still pursuing court action as these negotiations were ongoing, and we handed each caravan owner a notice of trespass last week,” said Mr Singh, of Birmingham.

“We’ve done what we can to bring this to a successful outcome and with the community in mind.”

He said the issue had dragged on so long because he missed the initial “window of opportunity” to serve an immediate court order, removing the travellers, within 24 hours of their arrival.

Nearby residents had agreed to pay for the court order if the matter had dragged on, added Mr Singh.

But “we’ve had enough now” he said, saying he would be putting the land up for sale shortly.

“Steve Sparkes and the football clubs will have first refusal,” he said.

• Anyone who can offer help to replace damaged toilets and sinks at the ground is asked to call Kevin Jenkins on 07845 553400 or e-mail jenkinskall@sky.com