COUNCIL taxpayers face a bill running into thousands of pounds after several travellers encamped on a park and ride site on the edge of Taunton for six days.

They were finally moved off the Gateway site, in Henlade, along with their vehicles and caravans by police and bailiffs at lunchtime today (Wednesday) after arriving shortly before the facility closed last Thursday evening.

The site has been closed to the public this week and Somerset County Council officials were assessing some damage and organising a clean up operation.

The site will re-open at 5am tomorrow (Thursday).

A County Hall spokesman said: "The travellers vacated the site 45 minutes after bailiffs assisted by police arrived on site.

"The site is now secure and the clean-up process is underway after staff assessed the extent of rubbish left behind.

"There was some damage done, including to the bus shelters and electric vehicle charging points."

The site, which does not operate at weekends, remained open on Friday, but it was closed for safety reasons on Monday.

The travellers ignored an injunction ordering them off the site by 6pm on Friday.

A county official estimated it costs the authority £700 in lost revenue for each day it remains closed, on top of legal fees, action to force the travellers to move on, the clean up operation and repairs to damaged items. The total bill is unknown at this stage.

A council spokesman said: "We acted as quickly as possible and staff have been working out of hours to monitor the situation. It’s frustrating for us and frustrating for commuters, but we have to follow the legal process.

"Two years ago we brought in a permanent injunction on the site, which in this case allowed us to serve notice to leave within hours of the travellers arriving.

"That notice was ignored and we went to court at the earliest possible opportunity seeking an enforcement notice to serve on the group."

He added that the permanent injunction allowed the council to speed up the eviction.

On an average weekday, between 350 and 400 passengers use the Gateway Park and Ride, which cost £3 million to build and opened in 2009 on an average weekday.

Silk Mills Park and Ride on the other side of Taunton has remained open throughout.