Travellers could be responsible for the postponement of one of Sussex’s biggest rugby fixtures as a club fears for the safety of hundreds of players.

A group of seven caravans have taken over the car park at Brighton Blues Rugby Football Club’s Waterhall Ground ahead of their derby clash with Hove.

With 220 footballers as well as 120 rugby players due to play on Saturday, the club is considering cancelling all fixtures because an ambulance would not be able to access the pitches.

Brighton’s commercial manager Jason Tams said: “If I cannot guarantee the safety of my players and our opposition, I will have no option but to cancel the game.

“The council and the police have been inundated with calls from the club this morning, but nobody seems to want to make a decision.

“This is our biggest fixture of the year – more than 800 people came down last year – and the financial implication of cancelling the fixture would be enormous. We’d lose thousands.

“But we also have 500 juniors due to come down on Sunday for pre-season registration day and the junior football season starts on the bottom pitches.”

Downs Park School have booked the artificial pitch this afternoon, but Mr Tams will advise them to cancel because of abuse the special needs students have received in the past by travellers including having rocks thrown at them.

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said they were working with police on a joint assessment of the situation and were factoring in the situation with the rugby fixture.

Mr Tams said: “There will be hundreds of cars parked on the narrow road, and an ambulance just won’t be able to get down there.

“Last Sunday the council closed the car park, and it was absolute mayhem.

“It’ll be the same this weekend if the travellers are still occupying the car park.”

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Police and Brighton and Hove City Council officers have visited the site and it is understood that the travellers plan to move on this afternoon (Friday).”