TRAVELLERS who camped at Badbury Rings near Wimborne are being blamed for burning two memorial trees, carving initials into the established trees on Kingston Lacy’s ancient beech avenue and leaving a huge pile of debris including excrement.

The National Trust is assessing the damage and will have to pay for the cleanup.

The memorial trees were planted around 20 years ago parallel to the historic beech avenue with funds donated by residents in memory of their loved ones.

The iconic two-and-a-half- mile beech avenue near Wimborne had 731 trees when William John Bankes planted them in 1835 as the main driveway to the house at Kingston Lacy. But time has taken its toll and National Trust staff believe the avenue will be gone in less than 20 years because of age, disease, climate change and shallow roots.

The National Trust said staff from the charity had met last week with travelling families who had moved onto beech avenue. It was agreed they would move without the need for police or court involvement, and the travellers left on Tuesday.

Nigel Chalk, gardens and countryside manager at Kingston Lacy, said: “There has been some damage by children chiselling and hammering nails into the bark of the trees which form the beech avenue.

“The police had a word with the families on site, and that damage stopped.

“As part of our regular health checks of the trees we’ll be monitoring to see if that has any lasting effect on the trees.

“Because we’re unable to dispose of battery cells or certain types of waste which has been left behind, we’re having to bring in contractors to clear the site ahead of the Bank Holiday.

“It’s always disappointing when any charity money, which could be used supporting the conservation we do, is diverted to clear up needless mess.”

Mike Evans of Dorset County Council said four caravans, originating from Wales, had moved from Badbury Rings to the official Great Dorset Steam Fair travellers site at Tarrant Hinton near Blandford on Tuesday.

The site officially opened yesterday which meant organisers had to move swiftly to install the portable toilets and skips ahead of the planned timescale.