Travellers have been banned from occupying a Wimbledon playing field after costing a charity more than £30,000.

On the evening of September 10, thirteen caravans and twenty two other vehicles illegally entered and parked on the Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields.

During the thirty hours of this Traveller incursion, "considerable damage" was sustained to the playing fields. Cars were dismantled, broken glass left on the playing surface, goal posts broken and rubbish dumped.

This cost the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, a charity which manages the Commons, £18,000 to not only clean up the mess left behind, but to repair the damage done.

It was then agreed by the WPCC to seek an injunction to prevent further incursions.

"A spokesman for the WPCC said: "This decision is in line with the actions of several local authorities in south west London in order to manage the increasing number of such incidents.

"The Conservators considered this action proportionate, appropriate and expedient in fulfilling their statutory obligations to protect the Commons, making them available for all to enjoy."

On October 16, and interim injunction order was granted by the High Court against ‘persons unknown occupying land and/or depositing waste on land’ forming any part of Wimbledon and Putney Commons.

But obtaining this order didn't come cheap.

A further £15,000 in costs were incurred by the charity as a result of getting the order.

If anyone is to break this order, they may be held in contempt of court and may be imprisoned, fined or have their assets seized.