Travellers leave their mark on Diss Sports Field, in Shelfanger Road

A sports field was left littered with rubbish and garden waste, while a hole was burned into a football pitch, after a group of travellers left their mark on a popular amenity in Diss.

Norfolk Police were called to Diss Sports Field in Shelfanger Road on April 1 after receiving a number of reports that a travelling community had pitched up on the site.

Officers confirmed that 10 caravans and 17 vehicles were illegally occupying the land.

After police worked with land owners, Diss Town Council and South Norfolk Council to find a solution, the travellers left last Friday, but only after fly-tipping a large amount of waste on the field.

Around 15 bags of rubbish were collected after the incident, along with eight piles of garden waste.

On top of this, a large hole had been burned into one of the site’s football pitches, while drink cans and used toilet paper were littered across the site.

No arrests were made.