A park and ride car park is still being occupied by a Traveller encampment more than a month after being told to leave.

Around 11 caravans were placed in the Wigmore Coach Park and Ride Car Park, just off the M2, in July.

The coach park in Maidstone Road, near Bredhurst, was intended to be a temporary site for three months.

Toilets were provided for the group at the site which has previously been used by people who commute to London on the Kings Ferry coach services.

However, despite being served legal notices which requested the group to leave by October 9, they still remain at the site.

As a temporary licence was granted rather than it being an illegal encampment, Medway Council is required to pursue possession of the site through the courts.

The local authority has not received any formal complaints with regard to bonfires.

It comes amid a national shortage of approved stopping sites and facilities for Travellers following the nomadic tradition.

Click here to read more about the work being done to evict unauthorised encampments and the balancing act police face when attempting to address issues facing the Gypsy, Romany and Traveller community.

Speaking in July, Cllr Tris Osborne, Medway Council’s portfolio holder for community safety and enforcement, said: “As part of our 100-day plan, the new administration will be carrying out a full review of security measures at all of Medway’s parks and open spaces; in addition to conversations on dedicated provision; to ensure that we reduce the accessibility of our parks and open spaces to trespassers.

“We understand how important our parks are for the health and wellbeing of our residents and the annoyance of trespassing and unauthorised encampments.”

A Medway Council spokesperson said: “We are following the legal process to move the group on as quickly as possible.”