Yet another London recreation ground has been taken over by travellers, prompting a local father to call for their immediate eviction so children can play football ‘without feeling intimidated’.
The 35-year-old told MailOnline that he was ‘shocked’ to see about 15 caravans parked in the middle of the Victoria Park field in leafy Finchley first thing this morning.
Dean – who did not want to give his surname for fear of reprisals – said: ‘I walked near the park this afternoon and more caravans have already arrived.
‘There are loads of cars and vans there, along with bags of rubbish around the caravans.
Dean, who has lived in Finchley for more than 30 years, said he was ‘shocked’ to see caravans, cars and vans parked in the middle of a field used by local children to play football

He said that the travellers are ‘sitting on chairs around tables – I have lived in the area all my life and have never seen anything like this here before’

Bags of rubbish can be seen accumulating around the popular recreation ground in north London

One of the vans parked in the field at Victoria Park in leafy Finchley

Barnet Council describes the Victoria Recreation Ground as a public park occupying an area of approximately 6.5hectares on the edge of New Barnet Town Centre, conveniently positioned only a few hundred metres from the high street and station

The green space in Finchley attracts many residents and visitors, particularly children who enjoy the recreational facilities, including open spaces to run around on

Dean said that he was not sure how the travellers entered the grounds as there are bollards, above, blocking vehicular entry
‘They are right in the middle of the field – it’s a big park, with children’s playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts, and a café.
‘It’s a very busy park, particularly in the weekend. I’m sure that a lot of people won’t be happy. They are parked right where children play, and local residents’ dogs run around in the field.’
The travellers’ arrival in Finchley is the latest in a string of ad hoc sites that have sprung up in the capital.
An army of caravans pulled up to Willett Recreation Ground in Bromley last Monday, with travellers also moving in to Whitehall Recreation Ground and Hayes Common in the London borough.
At Victoria Park, ‘the travellers were sitting on chairs around tables – I have lived in the area all my life and have never seen anything like this here before. It’s quite a shock,’ said Dean.
Victoria Recreation Ground is a 6.5hectare public park on the edge of New Barnet town centre, according to the local council.

Litter has also been strewn around the vehicles at the park, which is normally frequented by youngsters playing football at the weekend, and residents exercising their dogs

A spokesman for the Met Police said he was not aware of any complaints

A Barnet Council spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the situation, and we are working towards ensuring that they leave the park peacefully and as soon as possible’

An assortment of vans, trucks, cars have joined the caravans at the green space today
The father-of-two added: ‘My reaction is that I’m quite disappointed because local families aren’t going to go there, because they are quite intimidating.
‘At the weekend the park is normally very busy with hundreds of visitors, with families paying football. I normally go there a few times a week. It’s a nice park with a lot of trees, and you can normally relax there.’
He said that he could not work out how the travellers entered the park with their large vehicles, because ‘there are bollards in the entrance’.
A spokesman for the Met Police said he was not aware of any complaints.
A Barnet Council spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the situation, and we are working towards ensuring that they leave the park peacefully and as soon as possible.’

Dean, a father-of-two, wants the travellers evicted so residents can once again enjoy the green space in north London

He said that fellow residents are also likely to be ‘shocked’ at seeing the travellers

Barnet Council said it was ‘working towards ensuring that they leave the park peacefully’

The travellers’ arrival in Finchley is the latest in a string of ad hoc sites that have sprung up in the capital

Victoria Park in Finchley is also loved by residents because of its many trees, above