Court action will be taken this week to evict a group of travellers pitched up on an industrial estate.
About a dozen caravans arrived at the site on Edgar Road, Elgin – next to Walker’s shortbread factory – last Tuesday.
The group has said they plan to move off the land – owned by construction firm the Robertson Group – tomorrow, ahead of court action on Wednesday to force them from the land.
One of the travellers, who said she was not permitted to give her name, said: “We are being taken to court on Wednesday so to avoid the hassle of that we will be leaving before then.
“We’ll try and stay on as long as we can but we plan to leave Elgin before any legal action is taken.
“We are trying our best to keep the area as tidy as possible until then.”
A spokeswoman for the Robertson Group said: “We met the travellers last week to discuss their plans and are working with them and all the other agencies involved to resolve the issue.”
A Moray Council spokesman added: “In line with normal procedures, we have made contact with the travellers and have made daily visits to the site to monitor the situation.”
The site is next to Walker’s shortbread factory, and its owners say they have taken measures to safeguard the grounds from intruders.
A spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the travellers taking up residence on Edgar Road and we understand that Robertson Construction is dealing with the situation.
“When they arrived on Tuesday we spoke with them, and we understand Moray Council and the police are taking it further.
“We have secured our own site to make sure they don’t come in there.”
Fochabers and Lhanbryde councillor Douglas Ross said last night it was “unfortunate” the Robertson Group would have to go to court to move them on.
He said: “These people are illegally parked and while we can’t tar everyone with the same brush, they do tend to leave a significant mess behind when they leave.
“That’s why communities take exception to them being there, and it’s unfortunate a landowner has to go to the courts to move them on.”
Elgin City South councillor John Divers added: “Having seen the travellers there I’m fully aware of the situation, but as it is on private land it is an issue for Robertson to deal with.”