Illegal campers have been moved on from their beachside site after complaints were received about the rubbish-strewn make-shift camp.

The Timaru couple, James Grimmer, 25, and Julie Sadlier, 18, left the park, near Patiti Point, about 7pm on Wednesday after they were served a trespass notice earlier that day.

Their camp drew complaints from neighbours and passers-by and, the Timaru District Council had been contacted.

JOHN BISSET/FAIRFAX NZ James Grimmer and Julie Sadlier have been sleeping in a tent since they were kicked out of a house in August.

Using their dogs' leashes, they hauled their double mattress, tent, and stuff, with their two dogs, over the locked barrier gate to the park and hauled their things up the Domain Avenue hill.

READ MORE: Illegal campers moved on from prime coastal land

Grimmer said "that hill was a mission" and it took an hour to move to their new site near Collins St, but Grimmer was not confident they would be there for long.

JOHN BISSET/FAIRFAX NZ There had been complaints about the litter around the camp site, near Patiti Point, and that have been told to move

"The neighbour called the cops," Grimmer said.

The police had found the couple and given them the trespass notice and a map, outlining all the areas they were not allowed in black marker pen.

This included the Timaru Botanical Gardens, Caroline Bay and the South Beach coastline.

"We're not allowed to camp down Collins St," Grimmer said.

They had been considering setting up on an abandoned property, but the couple said they did not know how long they would be able to stay before they were "moved on".

Neither of them was employed and they said they were focussing on trying to get a house.

Sadlier said they were waiting to hear back about a three-bedroom house, which allowed dogs, they had viewed a "while ago".

They did not have a stove and instead cooked their food by "creating a bonfire".

To charge their phones, they walked into town to the library and used the power points, she said.

They were not sure where they were going to sleep or what they were going to do, Sadlier said.

Grimmer and Sadlier said they did not want to give their dogs up.

She had been considering breeding their american pit bull terriers, Maya and Fish when they were older.

On Wednesday Salvation Army case worker Janet McDonald said the couple had received support and advice, but, "it is up to their choices whether they do that or not".

People living in cars or tents "often" were doing so by choice because they chose to spend on different things, she said.

A Timaru District Council spokesman said the council had not previously needed to give a trespass notice to any freedom campers in the area as "the council would normally approach the persons concerned and ask them to move on", which was "usually" enough.

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