A council leader says his team are “being messed around” after more travellers set up camp in a park.

After bailiffs, police, and the council moved on a huge group of travellers from Ripon Park in Borehamwood at the end of last week, people living in the town may have thought the summer of incursions might have come to an end.

But on Thursday, four caravans and a motorhome moved into Ripon Park, where they remain. The current group are not thought to have been in the borough before.

It has led to numerous calls from neighbours, especially those in Borehamwood, to protect the parks from encroachment, by installing bollards and posts.

Hertsmere Borough Council has responded to those calls but gave an estimate that it would cost £40,000 to protect Ripon Park alone.

Now council leader Morris Bright has spoken out.

He said: "As a resident who lives live round the corner from these incursions on Ripon Park I utterly empathise and understand the anger and frustration felt by residents. We are clearly being messed about here and played by people who know how to use and abuse the system. We are acting within the law but we can see that this just isn’t working here."

"I have just held a meeting with the chief executive here at Hertsmere and have been in touch with our MP in Westminster too. I shall have further discussions in the coming days.”

Hertsmere’s MP Oliver Dowden has expressed his “frustration” at Thursday’s encampment.

The group in Ripon Park have been served a notice of direction to leave and the council is expected to seek permission from a court about a removal order.

They are believed to be the 15th encampment in Hertsmere since June; several parks in Borehamwood, Bushey, and Potters Bar have been used as a temporary home.

Cllr Bright will discuss the traveller situation at Wednesday’s full council meeting which takes place at the council’s offices in Borehamwood at 7.30pm.

He added: "I hope the council will unite behind any plans and members will not try and score political points off each other. We are here to serve our residents. There should be no politics played over the frustration and the angst being suffered by our residents."