Travellers leave mountains of rubbish covering an entire football pitch after camping there for more than a week

  • Football pitch in west London turned into a rubbish site after travellers move in
  • Home to the London Tigers FC the site was claimed by travellers as a campsite
  • The group stayed for more than ten days before leaving with the pitch in tatters 

This is the shocking scene left at the ground of an overrun west London football club after travellers had abandoned it.

Filmed by a passing cyclist, the London Tigers football pitch in Ealing was left in ruins when a group of travellers claimed it for their campsite before moving on shortly afterwards.

Masses of rubbish can be seen piled on the boggy turf where semi-professional adults and junior teams play their home matches.

A football ground was left in ruins after travellers claimed the pitch for their campsite in west London. The London Tigers football ground in Ealing was used by a group of travellers for about ten days before they were moved on

A football ground was left in ruins after travellers claimed the pitch for their campsite in west London. The London Tigers football ground in Ealing was used by a group of travellers for about ten days before they were moved on

A cyclist captured the appalling site on his head-cam showing abandoned cars and piles of rubbish scattered across the grass

A cyclist captured the appalling site on his head-cam showing abandoned cars and piles of rubbish scattered across the grass

The Avenue Park Stadium in Greenford, Ealing plays home to the London Tigers FC - a registered charity dedicated to 'engaging with disadvantaged communities across London'.

However the video shows the turf now in a state of absolute disrepair with tire marks dug deep into the grass where vans and trailers have sunk.

The recorder, John J, 50, from Greenford said: 'They've destroyed a perfectly good football pitch. No respect for the environment, it'll cost the council tens of thousands to rectify the state.

'The bunch pitched up on the fifth or sixth - I think this lot had been turfed out from Northolt and were previously in a PC World car park for a while.

'They left on the Friday leaving a van in the field.'

In the video there appears to be a few abandoned vehicles and dozens of piles of rubbish scattered around the ground.

When travellers go onto private land councils can provide advice to the land owners on how best to evict their unwanted tenants - usually by applying to the courts for an eviction notice. 

It is thought the group have previously been moved around from Ealing Common and Norwood Green before pitching up at Avenue Park Stadium, home to the London Tigers FC

It is thought the group have previously been moved around from Ealing Common and Norwood Green before pitching up at Avenue Park Stadium, home to the London Tigers FC

A cyclist who recorded the scene said: 'They've destroyed a perfectly good football pitch. No respect for the environment, it'll cost the council tens of thousands to rectify the state'

A cyclist who recorded the scene said: 'They've destroyed a perfectly good football pitch. No respect for the environment, it'll cost the council tens of thousands to rectify the state'

Councils will also make the Police Safer Neighbourhood team aware and guide people on how to keep their sites secure.

The council advises that if travellers break into private land then it's a legal matter but if it's just a camp then it's a civil matter. 

The council also warns against locals giving household waste away without seeing a waste licence as the cost of cleaning and repair last year is thought to have been in the hundreds of thousands.  

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