A £25,000 clean-up operation is still going on after travellers ended their illegal occupation of a giant Chandler's Ford warehouse.

Travellers invaded the empty 55,000 square feet building in Brickfield Lane on the Chandler's Ford Industrial Estate just after it had been given a major makeover costing about £400,000.

A convoy of about 20 caravans had rolled through the gates after a padlock was forced.

During their 11 days occupation the travellers, who were later served with a court order to quit, completely trashed the building.

They left behind a catalogue of destruction including smashed windows, doors, water pipes. Copper piping was ripped apart.

Intruders climbed onto the roof and attempted to take away special insulated roofing material. Building rubble was also dumped in the warehouse.

Special equipment, along with giant skips, have been brought in to remove the debris.

Bolts were also removed from the roof in a bid to take away the special insulated roofing material.

Large areas of the warehouse and offices were used as a toilet and some of the team drafted in to clear the mess vomited when they first entered the building.

Mr Alex Keown-Boyd, a spokesman for Chamberlayne Homes - the managing agent - spoke of his disgust at the wanton damage that had been caused by the invasion: "We had spent £400,000 on refurbishing this building and were just about to get ready to rent it out."

The company will have to pick up the huge bill to cover the cost of repairing the damage, cleaning up the warehouse, legal costs in getting the travellers off the site, and loss of rent.

Mr Keown-Boyd is also angry at the lack of police action.

But an Eastleigh police spokesman said: "This is a perennial problem. It requires a partnership approach as the police have limited powers to deal with travellers who commit a civil trespass."

He said Eastleigh police had been aware of the travellers and advised the landowners of the procedures to follow.

He said that officers had regularly patrolled the area throughout the time the travellers were on the site and had monitored the situation.

He added: "They would have dealt robustly with any acts of criminality."

Meanwhile, police have urged all landowners to consider taking greater measures to stop travellers trespassing on their land.