PILES of rubbish have been left at sites used by travellers in Weymouth.

Food, nappies and bags of refuse were left close to the back of homes at the New Look site in Mercery Road and a van load of rubbish had to be cleared from a field near Chickerell.

The camps caused anxiety with residents after being set up earlier this month and eviction notices were served by the landowners.

The travellers have now moved on but the residents, workers and landowners have found piles of rubbish left behind.

Paramedic James Ryan, 30, was on his way to the Weymouth Ambulance station when saw the mess.

He said: “They’ve left it in a state with rubbish.

“There’s food and babies’ clothes and toys. There’s bread and bins and open packets and things like that. “There’s also babies’ nappies and electrical items.”

Mr Ryan said there were also piles of hedge trimmings and garden waste left behind.

A New Look spokesman said: “New Look can confirm that following the eviction notice on Friday, July 23, the site was vacated and the New Look maintenance team are assessing the clean up.”

The travellers in the field behind the Granby Industrial Estate and next to the Chickerell Link Road have also moved on.

Mickey Jones, of DJ Contracts, owners of the land, said: “We issued court proceedings and got a local firm of bailiffs to serve notice on the travellers.”

The travellers left the site before any court appearance was necessary.

Mr Jones added: “We took the legal approach because the local residents were becoming particularly anxious.”

He said residents helped his company to fill a van with the rubbish left behind in the field.

He said: “It was ourselves and our contractors and some of the local neighbours were very helpful.

“We ended up a few thousand pounds out of pocket a with legal and bailiff costs and now we’ve heightened security on the site.”

Mr Jones said landowners are on a increased state of alarm leading up to the Great Dorset Steam Fair, near Blandford, in September.

n arron.hendy@dorsetecho.co.uk