Seafront sleepers are turning Pendennis Point into a travellers' site and preventing locals and tourists from being able to park, according to complaints by regular visitors to the headland.

The point, and the rest of the Falmouth seafront, are popular spots for people to park up vans and spend the night, and it has also been reported that tents have been pitched in the woods around Pendennis Castle, with long term residents as well as more seasonal visitors taking advantage of the spot.

One regular visitor to the point said every day he saw "more than a dozen" vehicles parked in lay-bys overlooking the bay and Falmouth docks, in car parks on the point, and along the sea-front, and "almost half of these appear to be long-term residents."

He said he had been unable to park in the lay-by below Pendennis Castle as it was full of vans, and added: "The Pendennis headland is an excellent public amenity and a valuable feature of the town of Falmouth and its history, yet parts of it are turning into a travellers site."

Concerns over people sleeping on the seafront include the lack of toilet facilities, or anywhere to dispose of waste, and it has been reported that black bin bags had been hidden in bushes below Castle Close.

Falmouth Bay Residents Association, which aims to safeguard, promote and represent the interests of residents along the sea front, said it was regularly made aware of "camper type vehicles" parked on the point, the seafront and adjacent roads, and it was "concerned" about such activity.

Bob O'Shea, the group's chairman, said the issue was less easy to police due to restrictions on police budgets, although local officer PC Matt Cummins "is aware of the problem and is as present as he can be."

He said: "Something has to be done to curb anti-social activities and, of course, vagrancy. There is no easy answer other than vigilance and reporting incidents to the authorities that includes Cornwall Council, our town council and, of course the police."

But both Cornwall Council and Falmouth Police said there was only so much that could be done about people who chose to sleep on the seafront or the headland.

A Cornwall Council spokesperson said enforcement officers could only act if a vehicle was parked "on a section of the highway which has an enforceable waiting restriction."

And PCSO Sam Crowther of Falmouth Police said that as a lot of the land around Pendennis Point was private, the police did not have any powers to move people on. If the landowner wanted to clear their land they would need to find bailiffs to move them on.

He said: "It's a difficult one as the majority of places are private property, in particular Pendennis Point. We are limited with what we can and can't do, even if a private resident complains."

He added: "To my knowledge we haven't had any complaints."