Ashville College: Yorkshire boarding school forced to cancel sports fixtures as travellers set up camp on playing fields

The group arrived several days ago, forcing the fee-paying school to cancel sports fixtures.

North Yorkshire Police have now taken action and the travellers have left. Two years ago a similar camp was set up without permission.

The police said: "The Harrogate Neighbourhood Policing Team has worked closely with the college and community partners to resolve this issue.

"By 7.15pm on Monday (12 June), all caravans and vehicles had vacated the college playing field. Our officers are continuing to liaise with all parties and are carrying out patrols in the area to address safety and security concerns."

Ashville College said: “Naturally, our priority is to ensure the safety of our pupils and to minimise disruption to normal school life. We have taken a number of precautionary measures today including postponing home sports fixtures and ensuring close supervision of our boarders as they move around the campus.

“All parents were contacted on Friday evening and we will continue to update them as we monitor the situation.

“We are grateful to our families for their understanding, and praise our staff for making every reasonable effort to prevent the break-in. The continued vigilance of our staff and supervision of pupils on-site is of paramount importance”.