Drivers risk £2,500 fines for sleeping in vehicles on UK staycations

Angela Walker, 61, from Bradford, received two penalty notices totalling £240 after driving her second-hand motorhome through the city's Clean Air Zone in May without being aware of the charges. She said the helpline operator could not assist because they were unfamiliar with the area, and the zone map was unclear. Walker believes a warning for a first offence would be fairer.

Angela Walker, 61, from Bradford, received two £120 penalty notices after driving her second-hand motorhome through the city's Clean Air Zone in May. She was unaware of the charges until the fines arrived. Walker criticised the signage and helpline, saying an operator could not assist because she was not from Bradford. Bradford Council stated that over 3,000 signs are installed and advised checking vehicle compliance online.

More than £3,000 has been raised via GoFundMe for a couple who lost their home in a static caravan fire on Undley Road in Lakenheath. The blaze, which started on Tuesday morning, spread to outbuildings, fencing and vegetation. Two people were taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital. The fundraising target is £9,000.

Fliss Freeborn, 23, bought a used VW Transporter T5 for £8,500 (about $10,000) and converted it into a home on wheels using furniture from her old apartment. The total budget was around £10,000 ($11,900). An old TV stand became a kitchen unit, bed slats became a storage box, and bookshelf shelves were used for the table and bed platform. New wood cost $35, and a custom mattress cost $120. The motorhome has no built-in sink or stove; a portable two-burner stove is used. An auxiliary battery charged by the engine provides power.

Michael Delaney, 39, from Sussex, England, must remove six motorhome pitches and restore a seven-acre plot he concreted without planning permission. Work began in August without an application, and inspector Paul Freer described the development as a 'flagrant, contemptuous and blatant' case of deliberate unauthorized building. The site is habitat for the protected great crested newt, adding an environmental dimension. The family has three months to vacate the motorhomes and six months to remove hard surfaces and restore the land.

The five-star Drummohr Camping and Glamping Site, between Musselburgh and Prestonpans, won the Camping Site of the Year award at the Scottish Hospitality Awards on June 17. It was also a finalist in the Hospitality Champion of the Year category. In 2025, the site was named the UK's most dog-friendly campsite, and in 2024 it won two national awards.