A LARGE group of travellers set up camp in the Blestium Street car park last Tuesday (9th June).

The group was believed to have travelled down from Ross-on-Wye the previous night.

According to Chepstow mayor Dale Rooke, they tried to re-locate to The Dell car park on Thursday 11th June but failed to do so and moved out of the area.

Head of operations at Monmouthshire County Council (MCC), Roger Hoggins, said: "Officers first met with the travellers at Monmouth's cattle market car park on the morning of Wednesday 10th June.

"Thereafter, we implemented council policies and procedures for engaging with groups of travellers and also for managing council car parks.

"Engaging with the travelling community in such circumstances includes carrying out various needs assessments, while our car parking policy compels the council to impose fines for illegal parking; both were undertaken in this instance.

"On Thursday evening officers returned to the car park to issue notice to leave.

"The notice allowed 24 hours to leave, but the travellers chose to leave the same evening, and by 8am the next morning the site was cleaned up and in use as a car park once again.

"It is difficult to ensure that public car parks are not used for illegal encampments although we do use barriers in some instances.

"The barrier in the cattle market car park was out of service having recently been damaged."