LEGAL action is to be taken against travellers who have set up camp in a popular Leeds park.
Leeds City council chiefs are hoping to take court action after the illegal encampment was set up at Armley Park.
A small number of caravans moved on to sports pitches beside Stanningley Bypass last week but have increased on a daily basis.
Around 20 caravans are spread across two football pitches and a cricket pitch.
It is thought a locked gate was broken in order to get on to the pitches.
A local resident said the first four of five caravans arrived on the site at the middle of this week.
"I think they went down a road leading to local allotments and got ont o the land between the golf course and the sports pitches," he said.
Over the following two days he said local people who exercise on the land, walk their dogs, and take their children to play in the almost new playground watched as more caravans arrived.
"These crossed the sports pitches leaving tyre tracks and gathered at the other side of the sports fields.
"These faciliities are very valuable to the people of Armley and are very well used and though none of us have anything against these people, we would would like our park back," he said.
Armley councillor Alison Lowe (Lab) said: "At the moment we don't think this will impact on organised sports teams.
"But this is not to say people will not be put off from using their local park because of the mess and being worried about any trouble.I understand that an application has been made for a court hearing has been made but it can take up to up 14 days.
"I'm sure security at the park will also be looked at to make sure this doesn't happen again."
In Leeds, there were 740 complaints from the public about 126 illegal camps last year, 69 of them on council land.
They cost the council 286,000 in clean-up costs, legal and security fees.