A VILLAGE green regularly frequented by children and dog walkers has been turned into a filthy eyesore after it was used by dozens of travellers as an illegal campsite.

Shedfield Parish Council has said it is going to have to call in professional cleaners to deal with the mess - which includes human excrement - after the group moved on from the common.

Writing on social media, a spokesperson for the council said: "Please can you avoid the main part of Shedfield Common. We need to employ specialist cleaners to remove all this mess left by the the illegal caravan visitors over the last few days."

An encampment of around 20 caravans appeared on the field on Tuesday ahead of the Wickham Horse Fair.

Angered residents said the travellers uprooted wooden posts in order to gain access to the site.

Further damage has been revealed in the wake of their departure. Scorch marks can be seen on the grass from what looks to have been two separate bonfires.

Large sections of the turf have also been churned up by vehicles moving to and from the common.

Rubbish including clothes, propane canisters, food packaging and bedding was left strew across the grass and adjoining woodland.

One Shedfield resident said they were "deeply shocked" by the mess.

Wickham Horse Fair officially returned on Friday for the first full celebration since 2019.

The 800-year-old historic event, which usually attracts thousands of people from the travelling community nationwide, had been shelved over the past couple of years in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Officers confirmed there were no arrests on the day, adding that it passed 'peacefully'.