Travellers, who settled on a central Watford playing field last week, have been given a 24-hour ultimatum to leave.

The police alongside Watford Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council served an eviction notice on the remaining families on Radlett Road Playing fields today.

If the travellers are still on the playing fields tomorrow the council will go to court to seek permission to remove the families forcefully.

The caravans pitched up on fields, off Radlett Road, on Friday for the funeral of a traveller woman from Watford who was buried at North Watford Cemetery.

Police closed off roads in West Watford to accommodate the procession to the cemetery.

Council officers were told the travellers would vacate the site by Friday and then by the end of the weekend.

However some still remain.

A spokesman for Watford Borough Council said: "The council did not give permission for the families to occupy our land. We have visited the site daily to assess the conditions and ensure the families are not impacting on local residents.

"Alongside this, we worked with the police and Hertfordshire County Council to decide if formal action to evict the families was necessary.

"We have now formally served notice to the families to leave our land and if this notice is not complied with, urgent court action will be taken."