A court order has given travellers in Yarmouth 24 hours to move from a playing field which was broken into at the weekend.

Eastern Daily Press: Travellers on the Barnard Bridge sports field which is used by Great Yarmouth High School and local football teams.Photograph was taken on Thursday morning.Picture: James BassTravellers on the Barnard Bridge sports field which is used by Great Yarmouth High School and local football teams.Photograph was taken on Thursday morning.Picture: James Bass (Image: Archant Norfolk Photographic © 2016)

The group moved onto Barnard Bridge playing field, on Barnard Avenue, on Sunday afternoon and were then joined by a second group on Monday night, who brought horses with them.

Yesterday Norfolk County Council issued the groups with an eviction notice, but now a judge has also issued an order to force the travellers to move on.

They will have until around 5pm tomorrow to leave.

It applies to all the caravans on the site, except for six which arrived after the initial notice was served.

Eastern Daily Press: Travellers have moved onto the Barnard Bridge playing field, on Barnard Avenue, owned by Great Yarmouth High School and used by local football teams.Picture: James BassTravellers have moved onto the Barnard Bridge playing field, on Barnard Avenue, owned by Great Yarmouth High School and used by local football teams.Picture: James Bass (Image: Archant Norfolk © 2016)

But it is hoped these six will be encouraged to move on by the issuing of today's order.

John Robson, headteacher at Great Yarmouth High School who own the field, said he just wanted to get the issue sorted.

He said: 'It's actually stopping me doing what I'm meant to do, I'm also receiving requests from residents wanting to know what's going on.'

If the travellers don't leave the site by 5pm tomorrow, a council spokesperson said they would then work with police on the next steps.

Inspector Craig Miller, the local policing commander, said: 'After Norfolk County Council have obtained a removal order from court, it is our role is to prevent a breach of the peace and to ensure traffic flows freely.

'We cannot, at this stage, use any policing powers to remove people from the site as the law requires reasonable steps are taken by the landowner to resolve the situation before we can take action.'