Travellers at an illegal site in Aberdeenshire still face being forced from their homes after the council agreed to continue planning for enforcement action.

However at an Aberdeenshire council meeting on Thursday councillors said they do not want to bring action and will do all they can to work with the residents to find a solution.

Over 30 traveller families currently live at the unauthorised site near St Cyprus, and many of the families were at Thursday's meeting.

Councillor Peter Argyle said: "The commitment I gave today is that we will work as a council proactively and sympathetically with the residents, mindful of the fact that it is an unauthorised development and enforcement will be taken - we are legally required to do so.

"But I think it's very clear that we do not want to do that if there's a better alternative that can be found."

Alan Seath, the residents' representative said: "If we look for an alternative site, we're starting again - objections, the planning process - and we could be here at this time next year.

"The residents don't want that, they want a settled mind - they want something that says 'this is my home, it's protected'."

The authority is duty-bound to get the families off the site from the beginning of August but it is hoped a peaceful solution can be found before councillors consider the issue again at the end of June.