A community football club has confirmed that around five travellers’ caravans have set up camp on one of its pitches.

It comes after similar incidents on Whitehouse Park and West End Road car park in Ipswich.

And while Simon Longley, press officer at Claydon Football Club, says he can sympathise with the travellers it has left the club’s players with nowhere to train.

He has also admitted there is no choice for the club but to go through the courts to resolve the matter.

“They (the travellers) have taken their cars and caravans across the pitches,” Mr Longley said. “The gate was padlocked before anyone got on there.

“We’re certainly looking at the ways and means of getting them off there.”

Mr Longley, who is also the club’s under-9s coach, said the travellers had been asked to leave the site but told club officials there was nowhere else for them to go.

It is believed they arrived at the pitches some time on Sunday.

“Although I can sympathise with them it’s hard to do that when it’s a place used by a lot of local children,” he added.

“We can’t water the pitch because we have had to turn the water and electricity off.

“Although there are no matches to be played there, there is a lot of work to do and additionally teams can no longer train at these facilities.”

Mr Longley said the club was now trying to deal with things through “the proper channels”.

A spokesman for Suffolk Constabulary said: “Police have been monitoring a group of travellers who moved onto the site of Claydon Football Club, on Bramford Road in Great Blakenhan on Sunday morning.

“Officers are currently liaising with the landowner and partner organisations to resolve the matter.”