Eastleigh police are warning householders to make sure they are not contributing to the clean-up bill caused by travellers.

It comes at a time when huge piles of Tarmac, mattresses, old fridges and cookers have built up at an encampment on a playing field site in Stoneham Lane, Eastleigh.

Insp Martin Jeffery says the Eastleigh and Romsey areas have experienced a considerable increase in the number of people parking caravans on open land and travelling around the area seeking work.

He said: "This work tends to be manual in nature and may involve tree cutting, driveway laying, rubbish removal and garden work, to name but a few.

"Quite often the price quoted will be considerably less than local businesses will charge and this is often due to the fact that waste is abandoned in locations where the workers are not charged - and the cost of removal falls upon the local council tax payers."

Insp Jeffery said police were suggesting that before agreeing to any work, householders should confirm they were hiring recognised traders via local agencies, telephone books or the Buy With Confidence Scheme.

He added: "As with all work, the police suggest that arrangements for paying are made in advance of any work and that care is taken before paying for work not yet completed.

"As always, people are asked to contact police if they see any suspicious activity in their area. The number to call would normally be 0845 045 4545 unless there is a crime in progress where the 999 system should be used."

This morning the travellers, who had been camped at Monks Brook playing fields in Stoneham Lane, had moved on to the entrance to Southampton International Airport.

As reported by the Daily Echo, travellers had moved back onto the Monks Brook site earlier this month after leaving a massive clean-up bill during a summertime invasion.

A county council spokeswoman said: "We went to court to get an eviction order on October 9. That was granted and the travellers then should have moved off immediately.

"We then went back to court to apply for right of possession, which is enforceable by the Sheriff of Hampshire, and the court only issued that to us on October 16."

She added that as soon as the travellers were evicted from the site the county council had plans to go in and clean up and improve the site's security.