AN INFLUX of travellers in a north Hampshire village is causing problems and has already hit the parish council coffers.

Just weeks before HRH The Princess Royal is due to visit Silchester's new affordable housing scheme, the travellers have parked their 25 vehicles in the pavilion car park on the edge of Silchester Common.

The parish council, which owns the land, has forked out around £1,000 in legal fees to seek a court order to evict the travellers, and Silchester Primary School and the village's football club have also been badly affected because of problems with parking.

Debbie Rist, the parish council clerk, said she had spoken to The Rural Housing Trust, which is organising the royal visit on February 3, and said the trust did not see the travellers as a problem.

She added that earlier this month councillors had approved funding for a height barrier to be installed at the car park, which would prevent high vehicles using it.

Mrs Rist said: "Hopefully, as soon as the travellers go, it will be erected within a matter of hours. It's just bad timing that we didn't have it installed already."

She said the parish council's application for a possession order to evict the travellers was due to be heard at a Basingstoke court on Monday.

Meanwhile, parents trying to drop off and pick up their children from Silchester Primary School have had to make alternative parking arrangements this week because the travellers are taking up their usual spaces.

Headteacher Stephen Kelsey said: "About 70 per cent of the children are brought some considerable distance to school so they do come by car. But the parents have been quite ingenious at finding other ways of getting the children to school such as car sharing, using side roads and taking different routes. It could have been much worse if it were not for the forethought of the parents."

Three police officers have been helping to direct traffic near the school.

Paul Evans, the Silchester Football Club secretary, told The Gazette that if the travellers were not moved on, their next home game, against Herriard on January 24, would have to be relocated.

Mr Evans explained that the club was legally obliged to provide washroom and shower facilities for any league match, but said that all water and electricity supplies to the pavilion had been cut off to prevent the travellers from using them.

Pc Mark Smith, the Silchester beat officer, said the travellers had been evicted from Crookham Common, near Newbury, by Thames Valley Police on Monday.