COUNCIL officials held talks with a group of travellers who set up temporary camp in Wallasey Central Park on Thursday morning.

The park's gates had been locked as a precaution to prevent more caravans moving in.

Police were alerted at around 7.30am after "a number of unknown vehicles" arrived in the park.

Officers attended and established they belonged to members of the travelling community.

The travellers left at around 7pm.

Nearby householders were not so sanguine about their presence in the park.

One said: "They can't just plonk themselves here. It's cheeky, this a public park.

"If they want to stay longer, they should be charged council tax."

A spokesman for the travelling group, who asked not to be named, told the Globe: "This was the only site we could find.

"We had nowhere else to go.

"We're not here to cause any trouble and we intend to be on the move by 6pm."