RESIDENTS say their lives are being ruined by travellers making their way to Appleby Horse Fair.

Up to 30 caravans, as well as vans, trucks and cars have parked on the Demesnes, next to the River Tees at Barnard Castle, County Durham.

People whose homes overlook the popular picnic site say the travellers regularly dump sewage in the river, race horses along the roads, let their dogs run wild and leave litter.

An amnesty allows travellers to camp at established sites for two weeks before and one week after Appleby Horse Fair, which takes place in Cumbria.

However, the fair is not for another three weeks, and some of the travellers have already been on the Demesnes a fortnight.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said: "That is another three weeks of sewage being poured into the river.

"My kids cannot play on the swings because they have horses tethered there, and my mother's scared to go out of the house. She went out the other day to find three men urinating on her doorstep."

Mark Ladyman, of Teesdale District Council, said: "They have come early this year.

"We are working with other authorities to minimise any problems, and we have been giving them bags and have been collecting rubbish regularly. We are also liaising with our colleagues at the county council."

However, Barnard Castle district councillor Newton Wood said: "Why should tax payers' money go towards providing services for them?

"The police should be able to do something -they broke a lock to get on to that land."

One of the travellers, who did not want to give her name, said: "We have been coming here all our lives on our way to Appleby. It is a nice place and we treat the people here right.

"All our rubbish goes into black bags and all the caravans have toilets on them."

Inspector Kevin Tuck, of Barnard Castle police, said: "We are routinely actively patrolling the area for the reassurance both of the local community and the travellers, and monitoring the situation and liaising with the district council."