TRAVELLERS have broken into a camp site in Chiseldon which was closed after £20,000 of damage was caused there earlier this year.

The Chiseldon Firs site was closed in February after it was turned into a tip by travellers who left a trail of destruction.

Owner Swindon Council decided to keep it shut after it had to pay to get the mess cleaned up.

But now a group of travellers have broken into the Firs again and council officials are expected to have on-site talks with them shortly.

"They will be going down there in the next day or so to find out what is going on," said council spokeswoman Sarah Deacon. "The site had been officially shut and then locked to keep people out."

In February the site was left strewn with burnt-out cars, broken glass, human excrement and ripped down fences. It took weeks for council workmen to clean up.

The transit site was opened in the 1970s in response to a Government Act in 1968.

Travellers passing through Swindon were allowed to stay there for up to 28 days, but the group that did the damage in February were there for nine months.

The site is surrounded by an area of outstanding natural beauty close to the Marlborough Downs and the Ridgeway.