Travellers arrive at north London park with caravans illegally pitched up next to multi-million-pound homes

A band of travellers has taken over a set of football pitches in a leafy north London suburb, illegally pitching at least 12 caravans a stone's throw from multi-million-pound homes.Drone footage shows the encampment at Muswell Hill playing fields, close to the local nature reserve of Coldfall Wood.Cars with both British and Irish number plates appear to be parked up alongside the caravans and driving across the pitches with seeming impunity.Some of the grass is scorched – bearing the hallmarks of a makeshift fire – and litter has been readily discarded at the edge of the woods.The arrival is unlikely to be a shock to the residents of Muswell Hill, where detached homes have fetched an average of £1.5million over the last 12 months because the travellers are regular visitors.Locals first reported seeing the camp last Thursday. Three days ago, one said on social media they saw the arrival of a 'big orange gas tank' at the site. Travellers have set up camp in Coldfall Wood nature reserve in Muswell Hill, north London, among the multi-million-pound homes there At least 12 caravans were seen illegally pitched up at the site, supported by 19 other vehicles as travellers drove up and down the fields, leaving tyre marks in the well-kempt playing fields Police were seen nearby, but it is uncertain whether the group has been served an eviction notice yetThe neighbourhood is home to celebrities like James McAvoy, Peter Capaldi, John Savident and former MasterChef host John Torode.But it is also regularly home to travellers who help themselves to what are meant to be public playing fields. A group arrived with 15 caravans and a number of horses in August last year, and were seen riding horse-drawn carts along the pavements.Travellers appeared to have meddled with the locks to access the land but were eventually moved on amidst a local outcry.Residents had accused the new arrivals of engaging in 'antagonising' behaviour at the time.Retired teacher Deb Garcha told the Mail they were often 'inconsiderate', adding: 'If you want to come for a few days all I ask is be considerate to all of us and take your rubbish.' Dogs were seen frolicking in the camp and circling a charred black scar in the grass where a bonfire had been, while litter was strewn over the ground The site is run by Haringey Borough Council, which is thought to be aware of the encampmentHowever, those breaching the rules have insisted they are doing it because of the nationwide glut of official sites, and the 'stigma' nomadic residents in the traveller and gypsy communities face staying at the road side. In June 2018, Muswell Hill residents contended with a smaller gathering of caravans at the nearby Albert Road Recreational Ground. The camp was just yards from a children's playground.Police served them with an eviction notice, and they were expected to leave 48 hours afterwards, Haringey Council said at the time. The site is under the control of the local borough council, Haringey, and is thought to be aware of the illegal encampment. The Mail has contacted Haringey Borough Council for comment.The arrivals at Muswell Hill are among the latest in a series of Traveller incidents across the UK. 2025: Coldfall Wood was beset with travellers in August last year, who came with horses and 15 caravans 2025: Locks on the entrance of the ancient woodland appeared to have been broken that time, suggesting that the group of travellers forced their way in The traveller site in Buckinghamshire was recommended for approval of its retrospective planning permission, but councillors turned it down after local outcry Last week, the Mail revealed that a traveller camp that had been quietly built up in a Buckinghamshire village was told to pack up and leave.Planners had recommended the half-built site be granted retrospective permission due to a 'shortfall in the supply of gypsy and traveller pitches in Buckinghamshire'.But locals had complained that it would encourage more illegal sites to pop up around the county and raised concerns they had been subjected to threats and intimidation from people living at the camp.Councillors denied the application last Tuesday and demanded the illegal site be shut down immediately.In September, another group of travellers was ordered to leave an illegal site opposite Britain's biggest nuclear weapons factory – Atomic Weapons Establishment's Aldermaston site in Berkshire.They had illegally built 13 static homes there in 2025.The same month, travellers invaded a quaint village in 'military style' as they built an illegal camp in just 48 hours in Hillam, North Yorkshire.The group waited until 4.45pm on a Friday – just as the council offices were closing – before a convoy of lorries and septic tanks rolled into the village, and they worked overnight to complete the job.