When a group of Travellers set up camp on a Wimbledon playing field early last month, it was feared that sporting teams' fixtures would not be able to go ahead.

While that turned out not to be the case thanks to a High Court order, the total cost to the charity which owns the ground has now been revealed.

Chief executive of the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, Simon Lee, issued an update to board members of the charity and said the incursion onto Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields cost them "in excess of £18,000" due to legal and enforcement payments.

"Utilising the services of a professional enforcement agency, a Writ of Possession was obtained from the High Court on the September 12 and the illegal trespassers vacated the playing fields at 6.00pm that same day," a spokesman for the Conservators said.

"The board agreed to seek an injunction against further incursions for the entire Commons.

"This is in line with the actions of several local authorities in the south west London who have had to deal with the increasing number of incursions."

Since the incursion, copies of the Writ of Possession have been posted around the area, enabling the WPCC to take immediate action in the event that there is a further unauthorised incursion on the Common.