COMPANIES are furious that more than 20 travellers' caravans have moved on to the car park at Bumpers Farm in Chippenham.

The convoy arrived on Sunday and took over the car park. Caravans and vans were parked in front of the new offices at the far end of the industrial estate, and four horses were tethered there.

A spokesman for Bechtle Direct, an IT solutions company in Lansdowne Court, said they were outraged by the invasion.

He said: "I won't be able to sleep at night because I will be worried about someone breaking in here.

"I have seen a man walking around with a pickaxe handle looking threatening, and there is rubbish and pony muck everywhere.

"The car park is covered with rubbish bags and dogs are tearing them apart and eating from them.

"It looks really bad for the business.

"We had a visitor here today and he kept checking his car all the time, and someone came for interview and was scared."

He said staff are being forced to park on the main road and lorries are getting blocked.

"After they go the clean-up is going to be terrible. It stinks of horse muck at the moment and the rubbish is going everywhere. We have even had glass through the letterbox."

Bumpers Farm companies believe the travellers were on the site six months ago.

Some of the companies in Ormonde House have complained to the police and say they want the travellers evicted.

Bechtle Direct has contacted Country Estate, the owner of the car park.

The spokesman said: "The trouble is by the time an eviction notice is served they will have moved on.

"Meanwhile they are sitting there with their BMWs, 4 x 4s and brand new caravans and we are worried for our safety."

Wiltshire Police said officers are regularly checking the site for any damage or disruption, but they cannot intervene until an eviction notice is served on the travellers.

"It is the landowner's responsibility but we will assist when the injunction has been served."

A spokesman for Country Estates said it would be applying to the courts tomorrow to get an injunction to move the travellers off the car park.

"As soon as we have obtained this we will serve it on them as long as the bailiffs and police are available to help in moving the travellers on"