TRAVELLERS occupying a controversial site next to a Southampton playing field are about to be booted off.

Thirty caravans have been on the Monks Brook playing field next door to the clubhouse of the British Transport Club for six weeks.

They have been blamed by members of the BTC bowls and football clubs for causing thousands of pounds of damage to the sports field and clubhouse at the site in Stoneham Lane, Southampton.

Earlier this week, Ford had to find a new venue for the company's huge centenary party to be held today, because it was due to be staged at the sports club but it was too badly damaged.

Now Hampshire County Council bosses have had enough and are taking legal action next week to evict the travellers from the site.

The travellers deny they are responsible for the vandalism and have threatened to move to the nearby cricket ground if they are evicted.

Traveller Tony Murphy, 50, said: "We don't want to leave.

"It's a nice site. They are blaming us for all sorts but it is nothing to do with us."

Hampshire's legal experts will go to the County Court in Southampton on Tuesday where they hope to be granted an order to remove the travellers.

A council spokeswoman said: "Delays were caused due to us having to carry out new investigations into the health and welfare of the travellers under human rights legislation.

"As new ones came in, we had to carry out new investigations. That is our duty under the law and that all takes time."

The six-week delay in council action has angered the BTC Bowls club's 70 members. They claim that damage to the clubhouse will cost at least £10,000 to repair.

Club president Donald Snellgrove, 66, from Swaythling, said: "We have been on to the police practically every day to complain. The clubhouse looks worse than it did during the Second World War.

"Who is going to foot the bill for this? Every time the alarm on the clubhouse goes off it costs us £80 to call out somebody to deal with it."

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said officers had received complaints about "criminal activities" which were being investigated.

She said: "There are issues about them being on the land at the moment but it would be difficult for us to say they are definitely responsible. We have had complaints of break-ins and various things that are going on at the clubhouse."