A convoy of caravans has pitched up in a leisure centre car park - just three weeks after police and Merton Council evicted travellers from the same spot.

The return of the same group to Morden Park Pool car park on Tuesday comes a week after another convoy of caravan-dwellers in Abbey Recreation Ground was ordered off council land - although they have yet to depart.

Earlier this week: Travellers 'wreck' Abbey Recreation Ground for children over half term

Gypsy family apologise for inconvenience as up to a thousand mourners expected for funeral 

Gym users are now criticising the council for failing to prevent the recurring problem of illegal occupation of land in Merton by travellers.

Wimbledon Times:

Merton Council is in the process of evicting travellers from Abbey Recreation Ground

Mark Paterson, of Hillcross Avenue, said: "They [the travellers] moved in on Christmas Eve and were there well into the New Year. It took the council over a month to evict them."

Asked to comment on the council's long-term strategy for preventing illegal occupations, Councillor Andrew Judge said it was looking at introducing physical barriers to block travellers from popular sites.

He said: "It’s not always easy to secure open spaces but we are looking at the most effective ways we can deter illegal encampments in our parks by putting barriers in place in a way that still makes them accessible to the public.

"We’re also looking at introducing height restrictions at the car park in Morden Park."

Merton Council has to overcome several legal hurdles before it can safely evict illegal occupiers from its land.

If there are less than six caravans on a camp, council officers carry out welfare, housing and education assessments. The council can then apply to the magistrates' court to serve an eviction order.

If there are six caravans on a site, police can evict the camp straight away under section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. 

Heavy logs were installed along the border of Cannon Hill Common in October 2012 to block caravan-users who had repeatedly pitched up in the park.

Wimbledon Times:

But it failed to permanently deter caravan-users, who simply shifted the logs before moving onto the common in October last year.

There is speculation the travellers returned to Merton to attend a high-profile gypsy funeral attended by hundreds of mourners in Epsom yesterday.

How do you think Merton Council should react to illegal camps?

Comment below, or email louisa.clarence@london.newsquest.co.uk