POLICE have moved illegally camped gipsies out of Swindon.

The town’s police used powers under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act to force travellers, who had been roaming across Swindon over the weekend, to move out completely.

Two separate groups of travellers, spotted in Stratton and near Lydiard Park, were ordered off council land and forced to move on.

Last night police served an order on a group camped at Lydiard Park, just a day after another group were moved from Stratton.

Inspector Duncan Mason of Swindon police said: “They were in Hyde Road near the Premier Club, but they are not there any more. They were last seen heading up the M4 at about 4.30pm on Monday.

“We served an order on them. We used our powers under Section 62a of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act.

“Where they are within the borough of Swindon and causing an obstruction or illegally parked, they can be asked to leave. They can go to the legally designated site, which is Chiseldon Firs, but they are not allowed to stay anywhere on borough land.”

The group arrived at Zarlink Field on Sunday night, after being spotted at various sites around Swindon over the weekend.

Police used different legal powers to force them to move from Hay Lane.

Insp Mason said: “They weren’t previously on borough land, so we couldn’t use the same powers, which is why they were able to move around over the last few days. But when they are camped on council land they have to use the designated site where there is one available. If they refused they would have been arrested.”

Insp Mason said the second group of gipsies, parked near Lydiard Park, were served a notice forcing them to leave on Tuesday evening.

The same group of gipsies are believed to have used the nurses’ car park at the Great Western Hospital as a makeshift carpark on Saturday.

On Sunday police issued the same group with an order to move.

They then set up at Hay Lane, close to junction 16 of the M4, but were moved again.

Premier Club manager Nicky Cook said they arrived in Stratton at about 6.30pm on Sunday.

She said: “It’s pretty open here because nobody lives on site.

“We’ve just the same concerns that everybody has when gipsies turn up.”