Tourists in luxury camper vans have swarmed out seaside town– its crazy… council needs to take drastic action
RESIDENTS say tourists in posh camper vans have taken over their seaside town and want the council to take drastic action.
Holidaymakers in Clevedon, North Somerset, have been parking their camper vans along the seafront as an overnight stop off, after the local authority changed the layout of the bays earlier this year.
The changes were part of a £1million road scheme which saw the parking redesigned so that the vehicles no longer parked looking out to the sea but parallel to the seafront.
In recent weeks camper vans have been parking overnight along the seafront taking advantage of the free parking.
Parking is restricted for a maximum of four hours between 8am and 6pm every day, but they do not apply in the evenings.
Locals and business owners say the camper vans take up much-needed spaces for other visitors and the vehicles block their view of the seafront.
Other residents have also claimed the campers are staying there for several days and there are no traffic wardens to move them on.
Locals also say the campers are preventing them from using the spaces in the evening for a night out at the bars and restaurants.
Residents say they are struggling to find a space to park outside their homes at night.
Cathy Hawkins, a spokeswoman for Save our Seafront told the Bristol Post: “The changes to Clevedon seafront have been shown to be even more crazy with camper vans parking on Saturday night for free and all day Sunday.
“Encouraging visitors to Clevedon is great for business but camper vans parking on the limited seafront spaces for days is not.
“We want North Somerset Council to put the seafront back to what it was before and stop this nonsense and remove the unused dangerous cycle lane and parking chaos.”
North Somerset Council has said that as long as the campers use the bays within the permitted times, they are not breaking the regulations.
A spokesperson for the North Somerset Council said: “Timed parking restrictions are in place on the beach every day between 8am and 6pm, with a maximum stay of four hours.
“Outside these times there are no restrictions in the timed bays, but restrictions apply at all times in the disabled bays and loading bays.
“Vehicles, including campers, displaying a valid blue badge can park without time restrictions at any time in these bays according to government rules.
“Vehicles below a certain weight limit, which would include most campers, are legally entitled to park on the highway, so as long as they are not breaking the time restrictions in place, they are not breaking any rules.
“Camping on the highway is illegal and should be reported to the police.”
The changes to the town’s seafront began with week and are due to be completed by the autumn.
Elsewhere, The Sun took a look at Ewan McGregor‘s impressive VW camper van collection.
Woman who renovated an old van now makes thousands from renting it out.
In April this year, a family of five explained how they managed to live in a camper van.