MALVERN Hills District Council has come under fire for not evicting travellers from a Malvern Link trading estate.

Several caravans have been parked on the Haysland, Spring Lane North, since before the Easter weekend, sparking complaints from owners of nearby businesses about the effect on the area.

Adrian Grice, of AJG Auto Parts, said: "It's just a mess. The field had just been cleaned up and then this happened. We pay business rates, so why can't the council get them off?"

Ben Matthews, of KLM Motorcycles, said: "It's bad enough but these travellers came along last year and caused the same problems. The council just don't seem to have learned anything."

Roy Hart, of Malvern Motor Services, said: "If this lot had parked in one of the car parks up town, do you think it would have taken the council this long to do something?

"We have had to dip into our own pockets to pay for a private security firm to come round at nights because the police do not have the manpower."

Pat Milne, of the Mhyatt Foyer hostel, said they had also complained to the council. He explained "There is the noise from their generator until about 12.45am. There is also abuse and intimidation."

A Kwik Save spokesman said children from the site had been banned but it had been difficult to enforce.

Council solicitor Nicholas Wheatley said the aim was to get a court eviction order today (Friday). He said: "We have to present evidence before the court that the land is ours and that the travellers are causing a nuisance. There's a certain amount of form-filling that we have to do.

"Unfortunately, there are many other things we have to do at the same time, so we cannot be dealing with the traveller problem all day."