Campaigners claim caravans being sent to spain after age-limit scrap

Recently, an increasing number of caravan sites have imposed age-limits on owners whose leisure vehicles are seen to be too old. Some holiday parks have said that older caravans need to have

to be removed from their sites once they reach a certain age. In some instances, this is 15 years of age, with it differing between sites, with some up to 25 years of age. Following this

time, caravan owners can apply for individual licences, which councils may grant, oftentimes up to 10 annual licences. As with many sectors over the past few years, the coronavirus pandemic

has had a huge impact on many drivers and caravan owners, but also on councils and local authorities. Caravans will often be based on an inspection, or vehicles that reach a maximum age,

will need to be removed from sites. READ MORE: ELDERLY DRIVERS WARNED TO 'REFLECT & ACCEPT' OWN DRIVING “They’re then sold to Spain, where they’re used for housing, for holiday

parks and so on. “And these are all the vans that holiday parks are saying are not fit for purpose. “We’re basically shifting our rubbish to another country. “If it’s perfectly well to be

resold at a profit, it’s absolutely crazy.” There are also many concerns over how local authorities are able to determine whether a caravan is fit for purpose, meaning some owners may have

to prematurely sell their vehicle. There are fears that caravan owners could be pressured into signing new contracts which could potentially wipe thousands of pounds off the value of the

caravans. This may lead to more caravans being scrapped, as Mr Allen mentioned. Mr Allen continued, saying: “I talked to one of the dealers and they said we give more than the market value.

“He then said, ‘we sell them to somebody in Spain and they use them there’ and I thought, hang on. “So, you can buy it for over the market value, you can then sell it to somebody who can

afford to ship it and set it up in Spain and still make a profit. “I was thinking you’ve got your figures wrong somewhere; these vans are decent vans. It’s just crazy.” Stuart also

highlighted the environmental toll it would have with an increased number of caravans being scrapped. This is especially true when some caravans may be getting scrapped before the end of

their lifespan.