Travellers who have brought chaos to parts of Brighton have been given their marching orders.

Two camps of travellers in Wilson Avenue in Whitehawk and another contingent in Stanmer Park were given writs yesterday ordering them to leave the sites by noon today.

The travellers at Stanmer Park are thought to be the same group which were previously camped behind the 12th hole at Hollingbury Park Golf Club last month.

A golf tournament was disrupted then the group allegedly damaged the course and prompted Brighton and Hove Council to provide 24-hour security guards.

The same month, children of travellers at one of the Wilson Avenue sites threatened firefighters with bricks as they tackled a rubbish fire at their camp.

A separate group of travellers left Hangleton Bottom at the weekend after throwing a 7ft spear at horses during a seven-week illegal occupation of the site although one family has remained.

A council spokeswoman said the authority was looking into ways of dealing with remaining travellers at Preston Park and Hangleton Bottom. An extended family of travellers at Wilson Avenue which have been at the site for some months could not be evicted for child care reasons, she added.

Mick Martin, an officer for Sussex High Sheriff's office, said he encountered no problems when handing over the writs and some of the travellers were already leaving yesterday afternoon.

The council spokeswoman added: "We take whatever legal action we can as soon as we can. We just have to wait for it to go through the legal system."

The council may put gates and barriers on the sites but added they had been broken by travellers in the past and areas like Stanmer Park were difficult to seal off.

She said: "If they have the will to get in then often they do. Unless you build Fortress Brighton and Hove they can be breached quite easily."