VAN STRIFE
‘There’s a war on caravans,’ locals fume as motorhome ban on beaches sparks warning ‘wrong people are being punished’
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A BAN on motorhomes parking along several popular beaches has sparked complaints of a "war on caravans" from locals.
Three staycation hotspots have brought in tough new rules after noise complaints and safety concerns.
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North Yorkshire Council has announced a crackdown on campers along a network of beachfront routes.
A portion of the A174 near Whitby and seaside roads in Clayton Bay and Scarborough will be subject to the restrictions for the next 18 months at least.
Under the scheme, which has now been approved, drivers will be banned from parking overnight on the routes.
Anyone caught trying to sleep over by the sea could wake up to a hefty fine.
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The move was pushed through after several residents complained about nuisance parking, littering and beach fires.
The restrictions will be introduced on a trial basis, but could be made permanent after six months, subject to a public consultation.
However, there are strong voices on both sides of the debate.
John Senior MBE, a small business owner and business community spokesman in Scarborough, told : "A standard large motorhome will take up two to three parking spaces, and there is a limited amount of parking of around 400 to 500 places.
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"If they are taken up completely by motorhomes, which they are, unfortunately, then there really isn't any way for our day trippers and people that want to come and enjoy the resort for a couple of hours or a few hours to actually use.
"On top of that, with the campervans, we're turning the whole of that castle headland into a free camping site, and that's not what it's designed to be."
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Mr Senior was quick to emphasise that the town is "open to everybody" but said that some form of parking control was very much necessary.
He stressed that the rules did not amount to the council "waging war against the campervan and motorhome community".
But motorhome owner Steve disagreed, claiming that the authority is directing its efforts in the wrong place.
He said: "The wrong people are getting punished.
"It's all the idiots that are coming in, cars that are racing up and down at night time, lighting fires, having barbecues.
"The people in the motorhomes aren't doing that.
"It's a waste of time, but as soon as the ban's in force, I won't be coming back."
He suggested that the council should instead focus on existing parking enforcement and fining poor driving.
Kelly and Dominic Clarke, who spent the bank holiday in their caravan in Scarborough, agreed, saying: "We are spending money here.
"People that stop overnight are going to go for breakfast and drinks in the evening.
"It would put us off coming if we couldn't stop overnight."
Councillor Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council's Executive Member for Highways & Transportation, said: "One individual motorhome or campervan isn't a problem, but when you get tens, if not hundreds of these gathering in a particular location, that does create problems.
"They generate significant amounts of waste, as you can imagine and noise disturbance issues as well.
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"Obviously, there are safety implications for the campervan and motorhome owners themselves. We have had some fires reported.
"So this is about the safety of motorhome campervan owners, as well as the amenity for local residents."
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