Park eviction order angers travellers

The travellers have been at the site for two weeks

A group of travellers has reacted angrily to an order to evict them from a site in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

They said they had come to work as potato pickers in the area.

But the National Park said they had no legal right to camp at the former St David's airfield and that if they did not move by Friday they would be evicted.

Traveller Jane: Wrong about site

The group of travellers moved onto St David's Airport less than two weeks ago.

But Pembrokeshire Coast National Park who own the site have wasted no time in setting the legal wheels in motion.

At court in Haverfordwest on Thursday the deputy district judge ordered that they must leave the site by 4pm on Friday.

The speed at which the eviction order came was a surprise for the travellers.

"It felt like in that court that before we walked in the door they'd decided we were out," said traveller Lucy.

Without earnings from potato picking or other farm work another traveller, Jane, said they had no money to move on.

'Safe site'

"We've got nowhere else to go. We travelled about six hours to get here and put all our money into diesel getting here to do the work, " she said.

"We thought it'd be a safe site but it's obviously not."

Local farmers admit that the potato crop is late this year and the group - from Northamptonshire - may have been caught out.

"They come down every year, whether it's a month beforehand or not," said farmer Alan Preece.