Travellers have quit the car park at Huddersfield YMCA after four days – but still left the charity facing a bill of up to £3,000.
Police visited the site on Thursday and are understood to have told the travellers how busy the Laund Hill sports complex would be over the weekend.
The YMCA Sports and Social Club in New Hey Road was to host a retirement party on Friday night and a wedding reception on Saturday.
There were also two football matches and a rugby match on Saturday and junior sports sessions which would have brought 300 youngsters to the site on Sunday.
Club officials also brought a security man onto the site with two Alsatian dogs.
Around a dozen caravans arrived in the car park on Monday lunchtime – shortly after leaving the Celandine Avenue playing fields just down the road.
They hitched up again at 6pm on Thursday, leaving bags of rubbish and waste behind.
A YMCA spokesman said they were relieved the travellers had gone but there would be a cost.
The charity had instructed solicitors to seek an eviction notice and there would be clean-up costs.
Security would also be stepped up with the car park fenced off and a height restriction barrier installed.
“It’s like a big weight has been lifted,” said the spokesman. “The police came and we asked them to point out to the travellers just how busy it would be this weekend.
“We also had a security man come with two big Alsatians which started barking their heads off. It was probably a combination of the police and the dogs that persuaded them to go.”
It is 12 months since travellers last pitched up at the YMCA. Last year the club allowed them to use toilet and shower facilities but travellers defecated over the floor. This time the club refused to allow them in.
Legal and clean-up costs last year topped £3,000 and the club expects to spend the same again.
The spokesman added: “The travellers have left some rubbish behind but most of it is bagged up. They were only here four days. It would have been much worse if they had stayed three times as long.”
