A TRAVELLER encampment has reappeared in Rickerby Park in Carlisle.

Residents close to the park spotted a camp being set up again over the weekend with multiple caravans being spotted within the area.

Those walking through the park noted the presence of the new encampment, and one resident explained what they saw, saying there were "cars driving over public footpaths".

They also stated that as of Saturday, May 5 that "more vehicles and motor homes were showing up."

Cumbria Police are aware of the situation in the park, and are monitoring it. A Cumbria Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of an encampment currently situated at Rickerby Park.

“We respond to such matters from a multi-agency perspective. Traveller encampments are not just a police matter but a matter for other agencies to respond to including the local authority.

“With regards to such encampments, a number of considerations must be accounted for, not least the welfare of the travellers and the settled community.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and are in liaison with the local authority.”

In 2021, tensions rose over a traveller encampment in Rickerby Park. The community reacted with anger after people camped out in motorhomes in the park, leaving litter behind.

The frustration at the encampment in 2021 was primarily fuelled by the lodgers' failure to clean-up after themselves.

Environmental teams from what was Carlisle City Council were deployed to clean up excess waste left behind by the encampment on Rickerby Park.