TRAVELLERS setting up temporary home in Fareham over the summer months have left taxpayers with a £9,000 clean-up bill.

The money was spent clearing away litter, bottles and even human excrement.

Hundreds of hours of council officers' time were taken up dealing with the travellers.

The legal costs incurred in taking out enforcement action against those who invaded council land added to the final bill.

Fareham council's executive leader Councillor Sean Woodward said the money could be better spent elsewhere.

"When the travellers arrived at the Holly Hill car park in Sarisbury we had to put up barriers and skips.

"Just having the skips alone cost us several hundred pounds a week."

Even when caravans ended up on private land in Peak Lane in Stubbington and Segensworth, the cost to Fareham council was immense with council officers advising landowners on the eviction process.

In the latest incident, the council evicted five caravans from land in Primate Way, Locks Heath.

To avoid a repeat performance next year, Fareham council is identifying "transit sites" for travellers.

This would give them a designated place to stay while allowing the council to have greater control over trespassers on its land.

Cllr Woodward said if the scheme was to be a success, each local authority had to come up with suitable sites.

"Hopefully we can then look at all the transit sites together. We do not want to have local authorities showing a 'Not in my backyard' attitude."

The £9,000 spent by the council since April compares with a spending of £18,000 on travellers from April 2001 to March 2002.