Muswell Hill residents have spoken of their anger after travellers have been dumping tonnes of rubbish at the former Coppetts Wood Hospital site.

Travellers moved into the site which is owned by Catalyst housing association on October 27.

They moved a concrete block which had been placed at the entry to the former hospital site from Osier Crescent, broke through the gates and moved in.

Since then they have moved onto one part of the site, while lorries and trucks have been dumping rubbish on another section.

Cassandra Gilbert, whose home backs on to the land said that Catalyst hadn’t done enough to stop the rubbish being dumped.

She said: “I feel absolutely astonished that no-one is doing anything about it. They’re dumping huge amounts of rubbish, without the police, council or Catalyst doing anything about it. I am shocked that they can carry on doing this illegal activity,” she said.

The 34-year-old said she had been kept up at night by the noise, with dumping going on throughout the day.

“They came last Friday in the middle of the night. Police were called but couldn’t do anything, and then more and more vans turned up later on.”

The Metropolitan Police confirmed they attended Osier Crescent just after 10pm on October 27, but made no arrests.

Ms Gilbert who has lived Osier Crescent for three years with her husband Lee and her two-year-old son, said she didn’t feel safe. She said: “It’s intimidating. They come at night, they cover up their faces and put their hoods up. I was not sure on Halloween about answering my front door to trick or treaters.”

According to a letter to residents, a court hearing will take place this Friday in an attempt to retake the site.

A Catalyst spokesperson said: “Catalyst is aware of the situation at our site at Coppetts Wood Hospital – we completely understand the inconvenience and concern this is causing local residents and we are as equally frustrated with the situation.

“We are exploring all legal avenues to remedy this situation, including a robust 24/7 security presence on site.”

A spokeswoman for Haringey Council said: “We understand people’s concerns around fly-tipping and have been liaising with residents in the area on a daily basis. We have also been examining CCTV footage. The site is private, and we have been working with the land owners to find a solution as quickly as possible. A court date has been set for this Friday. In the meantime, there will be a 24-hour security presence at the site and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Catalyst purchased the land from 2015, and previously there were live-in guardians on the site.

The housing association got planning permission in February 2017 to build an 80-home development by 2019.

Work is expected to begin before the end of this year.