COMMUNITY chiefs in Southampton are remaining tight-lipped on potential permanent transit sites for travellers.

Councillor Liz Mizon, Cabinet member for communities and regeneration, claimed even she was in the dark over the areas being looked at.

The Daily Echo revealed this week that plans were being discussed for the Stoneham Sports Ground to become a base for travellers. The site had previously been earmarked by Southampton Football Club ten years ago as a replacement for The Dell.

Cllr Mizon told a council scrutiny panel that the council was looking at setting up a permanent transit camp following pressure from the government.

She said: "The briefing I have had is that there will be pressure from the government to provide a transit site. We do have officers who deal with that so they have obviously had to look at this and they have looked at possible sites.

"It's being kept extremely close to our chest where these sites are. I don't even know where these sites are. We are at the stage to see if it is possible."

She admitted the council would be bracing themselves for protests once a site had been confirmed.

"If we don't want travellers on the Common, for instance, we need to have a place for them to go that is well managed and well run. Wherever it is is not going to be popular."

When the Daily Echo revealed the potential proposals for Stoneham it sparked anger among residents near the site.

Two months ago Paul Kernaghan, chief constable of Hampshire Police, called for temporary sites to be set up to deal with the growing problem of travellers occupying land illegally.

There have been various problems caused by travellers setting up camp illegally on land, including a group who set up base on a field next to St Mark's Junior School in Shirley.