Travellers at Water Eaton park and ride, Oxford Parkway

As new figures show the impact illegal traveller sites are having on the county, a convoy of caravans filed into Water Eaton car park in Kidlington on Monday night in the latest unlawful traveller site.

The car park, which is at Oxford Parkway station, was also taken up by caravans in February for three weeks and again in September, by travellers who said they were just ‘passing through’.

Critics fed up with the persistent flouting of the law have called for more powers to crack down on the issue, and more legal sites to ensure there are enough pitches to go around.

One driver who visited the car park yesterday, who asked not to be named, estimated there to be about 20 caravans. He added: “They were spread out right at the back, behind trees.

“They were using the fences around the car park to hang out their washing.”

Kidlington county and district councillor Maurice Billington said the unlawful campsites were a ‘nuisance’ but said there is a bigger problem at play.

He said: “We need to seriously look at finding them [legal] sites, and the Government must be involved in that [for funding].”

In June travellers set up at a playing field in Kidlington, Ron Groves Park, which Mr Billington said was more disruptive as it had an impact on residents.

The latest Government data reveals that Cherwell district had the most illegally-camped caravans in Oxfordshire during the last count in January.

Local authorities carry out a count of traveller caravans twice a year, in January and July, providing a snapshot of the number of caravans on the day of the count both on legal and illegal sites.

On one day in January there were 37 unlawfully-camped caravans counted in Cherwell, while the other local authorities in Oxfordshire recorded none.

All 37 were recorded as ‘not tolerated’, meaning the travellers were asked to leave.

In February Oxfordshire County Council, which can only evict travellers if they are camped on council land, said it would welcome more powers to tackle the problem.

Yesterday a county council spokesman said: “We are aware that travellers have arrived at Water Eaton.

“We are hoping to resolve the situation through discussion while also following the necessary legal process in the event that this is not successful.”

Posting about the unauthorised encampment on Twitter yesterday, the neighbourhood police team in Kidlington said: “Police and council are aware and dealing by going through the correct procedure.

“If there is any criminality police will be involved.”

The Government is currently looking at giving more powers to local authorities, police and landowners to deal with unauthorised sites.

The CLA, which represents owners of land, property and businesses in rural England and Wales, has raised concerns about the impact of illegal sites on farmers.

Its South East regional director Robin Edwards said: “Dealing with, and clearing up after, encampments takes time, money and effort.

“It can cause huge disruption for farmers, while the clean-up bill often runs to thousands of pounds and it’s the landowner’s responsibility to clean up.”

He said the current law was ‘failing’ and called for a ‘new approach’, by making trespassing a criminal offence.

He added: “It is vital to make the law simpler and easier to enforce.”