THE travellers who set up home in Port Glasgow have gone — leaving a disgusting mess behind.

Human waste has been deposited in the bushes, and toilet paper and burst bags of rubbish lie strewn all around the grassy Woodhall area they occupied for almost two weeks.

The grass has been gouged badly by vans and caravans, and garden refuse has been dumped at the site.

Broken children’s toys were also scattered around the site, which is owned by River Clyde Homes (RCH).

The housing association were in the process of taking court action to force the travellers off the land, and a further court hearing had been due to be held tomorrow to get a decree.

Port councillors David Wilson and Jim MacLeod today expressed dismay at the state the ground had been left in.

Councillor Wilson said: “This is totally unacceptable behaviour.

“Yet again the travelling people have left behind a disgusting mess for the people of Inverclyde to clear up.

“We have a perfectly good refuse centre at Pottery Street that everyone else has to use.

“Why should the travellers get away with not using it?

“They show a complete disregard of the standards we expect from everyone else.” Councillor MacLeod said the travellers should not be allowed to get away with causing damage.

He said: “If any of us dropped paper on the street or churned up grass we would soon get into trouble, so how can travellers get away with what they repeatedly do in Inverclyde?

“Their vehicle registration numbers must be known, so they should be pursued for the cost of making good the damage they cause.

“People rightly objected to the proposal to use an Inverclyde public park as a location for them, but why not give them a site on other council land in the hills, for example?

“Something has to be done, or this will keep happening.” It is believed River Clyde Homes will now erect bollards at the Woodhall site to stop the travellers returning there.