An MP has called for more council powers to deal with travellers after a spate of illegal encampments in Bromley.

It comes after Bromley Council obtained a court injunction to crack down on illegal camps pitching up in the borough.

Caravans have been spotted parked at several different sites over the last few days, leading to Bromley MP Bob Neill to call for more ways to deal with illegal activity.

Mr Neill said in a letter to communities secretary and Old Bexley MP James Brokenshire: “Bromley has for a long time suffered from a large number of repeated, and often illegal traveller encampments, affecting local residents and diverting valuable resources away from both the police and council.

“From what I understand a number of businesses have not opened today out of concern they may experience problems at from this latest incursion, as the local supermarket already has.”

The council has been working with the police to evict camps from Hayes Common and Whitehall Recreation Ground in Bickley.

Mr Neill added: “As I made clear to the recent consultation on unauthorised encampments, the existing powers available to local authorities can often appear far more extensive and potent than they prove to be in reality.  Robust deterrent is needed through changes to legislation.”

Councils can move travellers on through powers under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, which Mr Neill said results in camps moving from one site to another.

This week camps moved from Willett Recreation Ground to Whitehall Rec, Hayes Common and Parkfield Recreation Ground.

Mr Neill said: “The antisocial and frequently illegal behaviour that regularly follows these incursions should be treated as such, and local authorities must have the powers they require to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

“I would urge your department to give careful consideration to what more can be now at a national and local level to tackle this problem.”

Bromley Council obtained the borough-wide injunction court order forbidding people from occupying land owned by the authority.

Kate Lymer, executive councillor for public protection and enforcement, said: “This welcome High Court injunction underlines our determination to use all legal measures at our disposal, which will hopefully speed up some of the frustrating delays we have experienced.”

The injunction is initially for three months, but the council said a longer term order will be applied for in the future.

The Friends Family and Travellers, a national charity which works on behalf of gypsies and travellers, said it was “deeply saddened” by the news.

The charity said there is a shortage of traveller sites in England, adding that 16 per cent of caravans in a 2017 count were on unauthorised land as a result.

A spokeswoman said: “Many traditional stopping places and green lanes where gypsy and traveller families have stopped for centuries have systematically been closed off, forcing gypsy and traveller families to stop in public spaces.

“Everyone needs a place to live and local authorities must begin to allocate land in their Local Plan where gypsies and travellers can stop in their areas.

“Instead of spending money on clear up and legal fees when a gypsy or traveller families pull up in a public space, local authorities could instead employ the ‘Negotiated Stopping’ approach – where they provide waste and rubbish disposal, agree on the amount of time travellers can stay in a location and in turn can direct gypsy and traveller families away from contentious locations.

“This approach has been found to offer cost savings to local authorities and also greatly improves community cohesion between settled and travelling communities.”