Concerns for Stonehaven open-air pool were raised on Monday after a group of travellers returned to set up camp nearby.
Profits at the swimming pool dropped dramatically last summer after an encampment on its grounds.
Now a group of five caravans has pitched up in the adjacent Baird Park just yards away and in plain sight of the popular pool.
Alongside the mobile homes are several vans, a lorry and a number of small diggers. Residents fear the travellers could stay for the long haul after spotting astroturf being laid around the site.
Mike Robins of the Friends of Stonehaven Open Air Pool group said he would have to consult with other members on how to proceed.
“Ever since last summer we have been overrun with travellers and there doesn’t seem to be any legal recourse for dealing with these groups,” he said. “The council can do absolutely nothing about it.
“We spent the last term planning how we were going to market the open-air pool for the upcoming season and then this kind of thing happens.”
Visitor numbers dropped by more than 3000 last year but the Friends are determined that more than 30,000 people will come through their turnstiles this summer.
Having recently spent more than £42,000 on installing new energy-efficient boilers to heat the water, the group is keen to guard against anything that may see a drop in usage.
“We have had a lot of difficulties in previous years and there is a danger all our hard work just goes to waste,” Mr Robins said.
“People want a safe and friendly environment to bring their children into and certainly from a local person’s point of view there would be a bit of concern there.”
A group of travellers spent nearly the whole of last summer at Baird Park and Aberdeenshire Council has claimed it cannot evict them as it is private land.
Stonehaven and Lower Deeside councillor Graeme Clark said, “We had a terrible time last year, partly with where they camped in relation to the pool and with a couple of other places including fields and private land.
“These are not the old Romany gypsies. These travellers are coming to do work in people’s driveways and gardens and they leave the sites in an awful state.
“The pool is a gem and is one of the best tourist attractions we have in the town, so the last thing we want is another major occupancy.”
Mr Clark added that the council is to pay for bollards to be put in place at the swimming pool to stop caravans and large vehicles from rolling on to the property.
A consultation period for members of the public to suggest improvements to the council’s travellers policy is due to come to an end this week. Residents have until Friday to make their suggestions on how unwanted camps could be better handled, with just 14 actions of eviction served by the local authority since 2008.
New guidelines to deal with unauthorised sites in an “appropriate, balanced and effective manner” have been drawn up and a revised policy document will be reviewed at the council’s policy and resources committee in April.