Illegal Construction of Caravan Campsites During Holidays

Simon John Turner, 49, from Reading, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for defrauding victims of over £190,000. In 2018, while living at a caravan park in Weymouth, he befriended a man in his 60s and convinced him to pay £53,046 for two caravans, but the deal was never completed, leaving the victim homeless. In another incident, Turner misled two victims into paying £76,239 for caravans and services, providing fake invoices. Turner pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud and was sentenced in April 2026.

Sevenoaks District Council issued an enforcement notice to the field owner, ordering the land to be restored. However, under the Human Rights Act and Equality Act, he and his family were temporarily permitted to reside on the site. The owner purchased the field at auction in October for £167,000 and can stay for 56 days until June 2, but is prohibited from further engineering works or connecting to utilities.

Questions have arisen about the effectiveness of ANPR cameras on the Kirkcudbright bridge, which record breaches of weight and width restrictions. The cameras capture all vehicles but automatically detect only the plated weight of a vehicle from the DVLA database, which does not always flag trailers like caravans. Council officials manually sift through the data and pass non-compliant cases to the police, while exploring a system to automatically identify towed caravans.

South Lytchett Manor in Poole was named Dorset's top site for caravan and motorhome holidays in the Top 100 Sites awards by Practical Caravan and Practical Motorhome magazines. The park also ranked among the UK's top 10 for glamping and touring, placing second nationally for camping and motorhome facilities. The awards are based on feedback from guests who stayed at the park.

A Peugeot Boxer camper van and two bicycles were stolen from the Long Harry parking area in Savernake Forest. The theft occurred on April 6 between approximately 2:30 PM and 6:50 PM; police are investigating and seeking witnesses.

St Ninian's beach in Shetland recorded over 13,500 vehicle visits during three summer months. The landowner called for caravan owners to avoid leaving trailers parked for weeks, as this limits access for other visitors.