Travellers have set up camp at a sensitive historical site in Hangleton last night.
About a dozen caravans are now on St Helen’s Green, which lies south of the mediaeval St Helen’s Church, the oldest surviving building in the city.
Brighton and Hove City Council said officers were currently visiting the site with Sussex Police.
A spokeswoman said: “Council staff and the police visited St Helen’s green this morning.
“The travellers have been informed they are trespassing and instructed to leave immediately, and it is likely that some will be moving to the Horsdean transit site.
“If the travellers do not leave the green we will be taking court action for possession of the land. “
Ward councillor Dawn Barnett said: “My colleague and I were up there last night and my phone only stopped ringing at midnight when I unplugged it.
“It’s a sensitive site and it’s not acceptable to camp on there. It’s an eyesore in the middle of everything. There’s also a lot of elderly people living there, myself included.
“There was talk at one time of it being consecrated ground, but when I spoke to the travellers today they said there’s no proof of that.
“The council and police are trying to remove some of them today to Horsdean.”
And no one say anything when the travellers have been over at Wild park and Stanmer for weeks !
The North of Brighton is always left and forgotten about. . . . . . .
OMG I went to walk my dog at Stanmer and left because of the mess and human waste… It was disgusting!
couldn’t agree more, we have to put up with them for weeks on end, the minute they go to hangleton or Hove they are moved on much quicker, funny that
If I parked my car on there I would be fined but because there travellers they have more rights than local residents.
This really does annoy me because like Paul mentioned, if anyone was to park their car on the site, they would be fined. Travellers however get left alone. The rubbish and filth that they leave behind is disgusting. The ‘friends of the travellers’ or whatever they called themselves bang on about how tidy they are and ofc they never leave rubbish strewn around. No idea where they get this silly idea from, they obviously havent seen the mess these animals leave behind.