PILES of rubbish are still scarring land next to Eastleigh's Lakeside Country Park more than two weeks after travellers quit an illegal camp.

Heaps of branches, foliage and tree trunks, plus plastics, old carpets, domestic refuse, waste food, broken electrical equipment and rubble, were left by the group, who were at the site for just five days.

The remains of a burned-out caravan were also left behind by the travellers who, at one stage, had more than a dozen caravans spread across land near Eastleigh Council's South Street allotment site and on country park land.

The eyesore legacy of their stay has been condemned by senior Eastleigh councillor Peter Luffman, who represents the town's South Ward.

He said: "I was over at the allotments and noticed that the large area of rubbish that was left had still not been cleared up.

"There were three large gas bottles there and kids had one of them alight and were putting stuff on top of them. Animals are rooting through the bags and spewing the contents all over the place."

Cllr Luffman said he had received a complaint from a resident of Arnold Road and had been in touch with council officers, asking for the rubbish to be cleared.

A council spokesman told the Daily Echo: "Most of the rubbish left by the travellers is not on council-owned land, but working with the landowners, arrangements are being made to remove the rubbish this week."

The spokesman said the bill was likely to run into "many" hundreds of pounds.