'Ripped off' caravan owners start compensation bid
BBCAbout 1,200 caravan owners across the UK, many of whom say they feel "ripped off", are to begin legal action against the holiday parks that sold them.
of the Holiday Park Action Group (HPAG) are seeking compensation for what they say are unfair increases in annual pitch fees and misleading claims about the value of static caravans at the time of purchase.
The legal proceedings follow a BBC investigation that revealed how people had lost their life savings, inheritance and pensions when the holiday homes they had bought lost value.
One of the parks involved said it gave "comprehensive information" to all prospective buyers, while another said its sales contracts were "clear and readily understood".
Joanne Horner-Bloomfield, 65, is one of those ing the legal action.
She said she "lost everything" after buying a static caravan on Watermill Leisure Park in Lincolnshire and now relies on food banks.
In summer 2022, she used £29,995 from the sale of her late mother's house to buy the caravan, spending an additional £7,500 for a decking and two storage sheds.
Mrs Horner-Bloomfield spent much of her time at the site, which she said was "a beautiful place".
The annual pitch fee in 2022 was £2,795, but it increased to £3,041 in 2023. When she was told the 2024 fee would be £4,100, she realised she could not afford to keep the caravan.
Mrs Horner-Bloomfield, who worked as a carer before ill health forced her to stop, and does not yet receive a pension, asked to sell the caravan back to the park owners in September 2023.
However, she was told they no longer purchased caravans manufactured more than 10 years ago.
She said the park also told her that her caravan would only fetch about £5,000 on the open market.
Mrs Horner-Bloomfield said: "I was stunned. I said why did you charge me £29,995 a year ago for something that was only worth £5,000? And he said, 'well it's business isn't it":[]}