Travellers set up camp at Darwen community centre car park

Four cars and three caravans arrived in the Darwen Resource Centre car park, off Edward Street, this morning.

Run by Blackburn with Darwen Council and Lancashire Care Trust, the centre offers services including mental health treatment. 

The council said it was in the process of serving a civil notice to remove the travellers from the site.

The authority said police were also involved on the site as there had been ‘reports of damage.’

They said staff at the centre also temporarily had to use different bases to work from, as the centre had to close due to the travellers. 

Lancashire Care said it had to cancel one of its clinics for mental health service users and said there would be another clinic in the next few days. 

A resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “The travellers have arrived overnight and are parked up at the car park.

“The resource centre delivers treatment to people with mental health problems.”

A council spokesman said: “The council are in the process of serving a civil notice to remove the travellers from the site. 

“The police are also currently involved as there have been reports of damage. 

“Staff at Darwen Resource Centre are temporarily using different bases to work.”

A spokesman from Lancashire Care said: “We had to cancel one clinic for mental health service users today. They will be seen in another clinic in the next few days.”

A police spokesman said: “We got called at 10.15am to reports three caravans were pulled up at a premises on a car park off Edward Street, Darwen. There were four cars and three caravans on the site. Someone from the council has gone over toe serve a notice to remove the travellers from the site.”