MESSY travellers should be forced to foot the bill for major clean-ups at their illegal encampments once they’ve been turfed out, a leading councillor insisted this week.

Nearly £20,000 was spent restoring a storage yard at Drumbridges after some 20 caravans left the site in complete disarray last month.

Travellers had been using nearby woods as toilets, gained entry through a broken set of gates and left rubbish everywhere – despite Teignbridge Council providing them with bins and a portaloo.

Disgruntled district member George Gribble told colleagues at Teignbridge on Tuesday that taxpayers had to dig deep and fork out £18,500 to spruce up the site, close to the A38.

He complained: ‘I have no problem with Romany and Irish gypsies, but I do have a problem with travellers.

‘They illegally entered a site at Drumbridges recently and absolutely wrecked the place – and ruined residents’ lives.’

Cllr Gribble added: ‘Travellers interfered with residents’ lives. One chap was woken up by noise at 1am and went outside only to find travellers wandering through people’s gardens.

‘They were causing a nuisance – but at no cost to them.’

Cllr Gribble quizzed senior officers about whether or not costly bills could be picked up by the offending groups at Tuesday’s meeting.

He asked: ‘It cost approximately £18,500 to clear up the site, a great cost to taxpayers. Is there any way of reclaiming that money and make them pay?’

The Bovey Tracey member said after the meeting: ‘I am really concerned because we have to pick up the bill in our council tax. I think they should be paying, especially for some of the facilities we provided to them like bins and toilets.

‘You have to pay your way in this world – and so should they.’

But officer Sabrina Thomas revealed Devon County Council had ‘temporarily accepted’ the travellers and let them stay put at Drumbridges because there weren’t any transit sites in Teignbridge.

She added: ‘Because there are no authorised sites more caravans turned up. It just highlights the need for agreed stopping spaces.’

News of the hefty five-figure clean-up tab was revealed at this week’s overview and scrutiny group meeting, where members were discussing a project to stop travellers setting up home at beauty spots.

Officers at Devon County Council want to create a network of sites where travellers can pitch up without annoying residents.

It’s hoped the series of approved sites would ‘reduce potential animosity’ between the community and travellers as well as council cash being spent on court proceedings for eviction.

Details of potential locations are being kept under-wraps as the venture is still in its early stages. Councillors fully backed the project, which is being led by Devon County Council.