THE COUNCIL insists work to prevent travellers from setting up on public land will not be delayed despite the latest infringement.

Residents living on Granville Road have been tormented by anti-social behaviour since Christmas and Reading Borough Council is in the process of installing knee-high barriers.

However, progress has been stunted by the arrival of yet more caravans at the site, with neighbours complaining of mountains of rubbish and being unable to sleep due to the noise at night.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "I have been told by the council that they will have to go through the same legal route even though they have already evicted them 12 times since last year.

"They came back late at night and started blaring music from their cars, with no thought or consideration for the people who work for a living.

"Me and my husband were unable to get to sleep and they seem to have come back even stronger than before.

"There are nearly a dozen caravans and it will probably mean all the work the council is spending public money on will have to be delayed.

"The police have been down here, but the travellers will keep doing whatever they want, at the expense of the taxpayer."

Officers from Thames Valley Police are thought to be monitoring the site on a daily basis and the council has so far committed £52,000 of their budget to prevent incursions across the borough.

Work started on the Granville Road site on August 7 after a similar patch of land on Dwyer Road was also given knee-high railing.

A spokesman for Reading Borough Council explained: "We have applied to Reading County Court for a possession hearing date in order to proceed with an eviction of travellers on the Granville Road site.

"We are also liaising with police who are monitoring the situation daily.

Work on installing security measures is progressing without any delays so far but the fencing contractors have moved to another area of the site to continue working following the unauthorised incursion."