Dozens of travellers who refused to leave a council car park have left a trail of trash behind them.

A procession of about 50 caravans and trailers left Herne Bay this morning after taking over half of the Neptune's car park for four days.

But council contractors have been called in to clear piles of rubbish left on the site, including soiled nappies, drink bottles and takeaway boxes.

One worker at the scene estimates the litter will fill 20 bags.

Locals feared the car park would be left a mess after the caravans started arriving on Thursday.

Canterbury City Council enforcement officers ordered them to leave but the travellers refused.

Their vehicles even blocked a launch ramp for jet skis and boats, ruining the Easter bank holiday weekend for many locals and tourists.

But they finally left at about 10am this morning, with Serco workers arriving on the site shortly after.

As the travellers departed, one caravan is thought to have broken down on the Canterbury Road roundabout near Herne.

The fire brigade was called at about 10.40am following reports the vehicle had caught alight, but no flames were found.

It is not yet known if the council had ticketed any of the caravans, but the authority did confirm it will be reviewing its security arrangements.

Spokesman Leo Whitlock said: "The caravans that were parked in our car park have left.

"The occupants have taken a lot of their rubbish with them. Our contractors will go in to clear the rest as soon as they can.

"We will review our security arrangements as a matter of urgency and explore all of the legal avenues available to us in order to prevent this from happening again.

"We would like to thank everyone who was inconvenienced for their patience."