A group of Travellers who arrived at Kew Green last Thursday have decided to move on, the council has said.

Richmond council launched the legal process to move the group last week and the High Court gave the Council powers to evict them.

The travellers voluntarily left the site yesterday evening.

No damage was done to the site and the council collected some bags of rubbish this morning.

Cllr Julia Neden-Watts, Chair of the Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee, said: "Thanks to our prompt action last week we were able to get a court hearing as soon as possible after the Bank Holiday, which has resulted in a Possession Order and the Traveller group voluntarily leaving the site before we were required to evict them.

"In this instance we did not have the same power we have had in recent years, following a High Court order earlier this month which denied the Council's request to extend the previous expedited injunction process.

"We moved as quickly as legally possible to ensure that the travellers could be moved on from Kew Green and we hope that this swift action deters this group from returning and others from coming to the borough.

"I would like to thank Police, our Parkguard officers and our cleansing team who have been on site since Thursday to monitor the site and clear any waste left in the area."

Although the travellers have now left, the Council will still serve the Order of Possession today, which is valid for three months.

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