We spent our life savings on a static caravan… then I came back to find another in its place – I had no warning
A MAN who spent his life savings on a static caravan has been left furious after claiming holiday park owners moved it without his permission.
Mark Robinson and his father Raymond, who recently died aged 88, bought the caravan in Towyn, Conwy, for trips away together.
But when Mark travelled from his home in the West Midlands to the caravan’s site in Lyons’ Oaksfield Holiday Park last week, he found it had been moved and someone else’s vehicle was parked in his spot.
He was shocked to then find his caravan 100 yards away, close to the site’s entrance.
Mark also claimed gas bottles had disappeared from his plot and, when he went inside the caravan, his TV was “on the floor”.
The holiday site, operated by Lyons, say Mark’s caravan had surpassed a 20-year age limit to be on the site and had been allowed to remain for a six-month “grace period” before it was removed.
But Mark, who followed his father into a career as a motor mechanic, said: “I should have been given a notice to quit or an eviction notice but I was not.
“It was gone and another one was there instead. I’ve had no correspondence. Now Lyons are asking me ‘What do I want to do with it?’ They have treated me like dirt.”
Mark said the family had a previous caravan which they kept on Lyons’ Towyn park for 29 years before part exchanging and buying a second hand Carnaby Siesta for £15,000 in 2019 – with its plot again on the Oakfields site.
He said: “My Dad just loved to be in North Wales. We would stay in our caravan and I would take him to Llandudno to watch the town band play at night.”
Mr Robinson’s dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died aged 88 during the Covid pandemic in May 2020.
When Mark drove to the caravan on June 15, he found it had been moved without his permission or knowledge and another one on his plot. He claims he tried to pay site fees in early October last year.
The following day, he tried in vain to find the person who sold him and his father the caravan in 2019.
But police were called over him allegedly harassing staff, an accusation he denies. No formal complaint has been made to police about him.
Mark said it was fortunate he had chosen to use his American Dodge “day” van for the 250-mile round trip as he ended up sleeping in it when he found his caravan had been moved to the temporary “plot”.
But without any cooking or proper sleeping facilities, he had to wash in toilets in Pensarn.
Lyons Holiday Parks said ownership of the caravan had not been formally transferred to him from his father. It also said the caravan is over its 20-year age limit for a vehicle to be on site.
The firm adds that no site fees were paid for the current year, which would have been due on December 1 of each year.
A Lyons spokesman added: “Mr Robinson was an owner with Lyons Holiday Parks prior to sadly passing away. Usually when such a change occurs with ownership it is standard practice that a next of kin would be in touch to transfer all details over to another party of the family – unfortunately, this didn’t occur.
“The holiday home in question is now 21 years old, we have tried on numerous occasions since November 2022 to contact the owners to advise we would not be renewing the site licence for 2023 as it has reached the 20-year limit on the park. However, we have had no success.
“After further discovery, the details on our system had not been altered from the owners who had sadly passed away hence why we have not made contact. We did however leave the Holiday Home in situ on the park for a six months grace period should the owners contact us to open a line of communication in order to resolve the situation. We have since moved the holiday home to a safe storage area ready for the owners to collect, should they get in contact with us.”
They continued “Within the industry it is standard practice that owners with other holiday park operators enjoy ownership with an age limit between 10 and 15 years, here at Lyons Holiday Parks we do offer a 20-year age limit which gives peace of mind to our values customers.
“We are a family run holiday operator which is nearly 100 years old, of which we most definitely would not remove a holiday home without good reason.”
Mr Robinson, though, has insisted he was told he could keep a caravan without an age limit if he bought it from Lyons.
Lyons says there is no paperwork to that effect.