Travellers have found a legal loophole to stop police and council officials trying to evict them from public land in Worthing.

The flaw in Government legislation was revealed after caravans moved on to a recreation area on Worthing seafront, between Anscombe Road and George V Avenue.

The area has been designated as one of 13 in the town where travellers are stopped from camping overnight so they don't disturb people living nearby.

But travellers have learned that the police and council cannot break up convoys of five caravans or fewer.

Yesterday a convoy which moved into town from Storrington Rise, in Findon Valley, stopped at Anscombe Road but within a few hours had been moved on.

Borough councillor John Livermore said he was told the travellers had split into three small groups, with one contingent driving just a couple of hundred yards into Marine Crescent, Goring.

They then broke through a barrier and stopped overnight on Goring greensward, just feet from the promenade path.

Coun Livermore said: "Apparently they are on three different sites at the moment.

"I understand we got them off Anscombe Road after about an hour and they then descended on Worthing Yacht Club car park, the greensward at Alinora Crescent and Goring Gap.

"I think the travellers may be playing games with us.

"The police cannot do anything unless there are at least six caravans. If they are only in groups of five we cannot do anything about it.

"That's the game they are playing. There are enough of them to share the problem and be as difficult as possible. It is a silly loophole. We should be able to move them on even if there are only one or two caravans.

"If there are more than five we can use the relevant section of the 2000 Criminal Justice Act to instruct them to move on.

"But we can only use it at the 13 sites where the borough council has got agreements in place with the police. Once they have been moved off they cannot come back for six months, and if they do they can be immediately arrested."

Richard Waller, chairman of Goring Residents' Association, said the number of caravans on the greensward had increased overnight to about ten.

Residents watched last night as children climbed on to the roofs of beach huts and a car was driven on to the promenade.

Mr Waller said: "The greensward is one of the areas agreed between Worthing Borough Council and the police to be an inappropriate area and they would be moved on immediately. We await assertive action."

Chris Bradley, the council's parks and foreshore manager, said: "I could see kids on quad bikes hurtling up and down at breakneck speed which was not only dangerous for them but other people as well."