Freedom campers around the Queenstown area are said to be displaying threatening behaviour towards council staff trying to enforce the law.

Authorities in the tourist hotspot have noticed a new trend of travellers bunching non-self contained vehicles together, to make it harder for council officers to clamp.

Close to 500 enforcement notices have been handed out to campers since last month.

Queenstown Lakes mayor Jim Boult told Bernadine Oliver-Kerby it's a disturbing trend.

"We had a bit of a threatening situation the other morning where a group of campervans effectively formed a circle and when our contractor starting to apply a clamp they all came out and were quite threatening to him."

"That can't go on," he added.