Travellers have now been evicted from Catford's old Excalibur prefab estate, residents say.

Neighbours reported a large group travellers after they turned up with five caravans and a number of other vehicles at Harmony Woods near Mottingham Lane on April 11.

The group stayed put for over a week, finally leaving on April 22 after Greenwich Council took legal action.

But, the following morning a group of more than 40 travellers arrived at the Excalibur - a 1940s prefab estate that has been vacated and is being demolished - leading to speculation that it was the same people.

Residents say the group's stay on the Excalibur was brief, and they were evicted by police "peacefully" on Friday afternoon.

John Wilson, 71, of Sidcup Road, reported the Mottingham travellers when he noticed their arrival coincided with an unheralded amount of waste being left in Harmony Woods.

He said: "By Monday there were five lorry loads of builders waste dumped on top of the hill, but by Thursday morning this had risen to approximately 15 lorry loads.

"Over the years the area has grown into a nature reserve with numerous amounts of wild live in abundance. It has local people exercising their dogs and runners using the steep hill for training.

"Sadly this has now been used almost as a landfill site."

A spokesman for Greenwich Council said: "From the start the Royal Borough sent a strong and clear message that the occupation of Harmony Woods was illegal and had to end.  This action included ensuring that the correct legal process was also put in place from the outset. 

"The woods will be thoroughly cleaned and we also look at what addition measures can be put in place to strengthen security."

Lewisham Council has not responded to requests for comment.