This was the shocking amount of rubbish left behind by illegal encampment of travellers in Milton Keynes

MK Council has now mounted a clean-up operation along Bletchley's old Buckingham Road,

The rubbish covered the length of the road from the top of Windmill Hill golf course to the Bottledump Roundabout, say residents.

They say there have been two encampments, and the smallest one was there for several weeks.

"I reported them to the council, the pleasant lady that I spoke to said they were aware of them, said one resident.

He added: "My frustration comes from the ratepayers having to foot the bill.... It would be interesting to discover what the cost to local communities is."

Travellers have been classed as vulnerable during the Covid pandemic and the national Friends, Families and Travellers charity (FFT) asked for encampments not to be evicted or moved on to cut down the health risks.

A charity spokesman said: "Gypsy and Traveller communities are known to face some of the most severe health inequalities and poor life outcomes amongst the United Kingdom population, even when compared with other socially deprived or excluded groups, and with other ethnic minorities.

"To minimise risk during this national emergency, unauthorised encampments should not be evicted

"If an individual living on an unauthorised encampment becomes unwell, the local authority will need to support the household to self-isolate safely by stopping evictions, ensuring the household has a place to stop and access to basic water, sanitation and rubbish disposal."