Ten passengers discovered aboard moving caravan

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by Holly Tribe

A motorist has been charged for putting the lives of ten passengers at risk when he transported them 100 miles across the country in an overloaded caravan.

Sameer Mirzar had been driving the 3m x 1.8m caravan from Stoke to a picnic site in Llanberis, North Wales before he his cargo was revealed.

The 45 year old was stopped by traffic police after concerned motorists saw the curtains inside the caravan being pulled aside to reveal seven children and three women on board, and raised the alarm. The passengers in the caravan included seven children and three women, none of whom were wearing seat belts.

According to the Daily Mail, the caravan was said to have been dangerously overloaded and the tyres appeared squashed.

In his defence Mirzar, who is employed as an airline worker in Saudi Arabia, stated he was not aware of the law which prohibits drivers from carrying passengers in a towed vehicle.

The father of three has been ordered to pay a fine of £900 and a further £215 in court costs along with having his driving license revoked for two years.

After sentencing at the Magistrates court in Caernarfon, Sgt Ifan Jones who works with the North Wales Police Roads Policing Unit highlighted the dangers of towing a caravan with passengers on board: “The consequences of this caravan overturning or being involved in a collision are unimaginable. It was risking the lives of innocent people unnecessarily” he said.

Caravan site owners win Farmers’ Weekly gong

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by Chris Malone

A Huntingdonshire couple have won a coveted award for the farm they transformed into a mixed use recreational site.

David and Jayne Newman began their project at Stroud Hill Park Farm 15 years ago after realising that the soil was incapable of allowing them to earn a living through arable measures.

Since then, they have created a paintball facility, caravan park and built a restaurant on the site, with diners being fed pork and other produce from the still-working farm, the Hunts Post reported.

Having previously won the AA Campsite of the Year prize and two gongs at the Hunts Post Food and Drink Awards, the site has now received another honour.

It was recently handed the Farmers’ Weekly Diversification Farmer of the Year Award 2010 for its efforts in creating a profitable business out of a farm.

“David and Jayne Newman have shown huge energy in converting a farm into a property offering quality recreation and conservation,” explained judge Peter Pragg.

The couple now intend to build two eco-lodges on the site as they look to create a niche in green tourism.

In other news, rental firm Amber Leisure has begun offering touring caravans and motorhomes to families who wish to take their dogs.

Caravan salvage firm to move to Tewkesbury

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by Chris Malone

A caravan salvage firm is set to move its operations from a site in Highleadon, near Gloucester, to a new facility in Tewkesbury.

CAPS UK is to take over the former Tewkesbury Cold Stores site on Green Lane Trading Estate, helping to ensure that old caravans in the area do not end up on landfill sites, the Gloucestershire Echo reported.

The firm takes old or damaged models and rebuilds them or breaks them down for parts, meaning they are recycled and not simply a waste product.

Joint director Alex Paterson told the newspaper that the move will benefit both the company and the town.

“It will be nice to get in there and have proper offices and a frontage, compared to what we have now, and it will be good to be next to the motorway too,” he said.

The project is backed by the council and chamber of commerce, but is subject to a number of conditions, including that opening hours are restricted to 08:00 to 18:00 Monday to Saturday.

Meanwhile, Amber Leisure has suggested that a caravan holiday could be ideal for those with dogs as they often struggle to find accommodation that will cater for their pooches.

Amber Leisure offers dog-friendly caravans

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by Chris Malone

Caravan rental firm Amber Leisure is aiming to cater for a niche in the market after noticing that few of its rivals offer touring caravans or motorhomes to families with dogs.

According to the company, there are more than six million households with at least one dog in the UK, which can cause problems when heading off on holiday.

Brits often wish to take their canines with them, but may struggle to find accommodation that will allow pooches in.

However, Amber has made a selection of its vehicles available to those who want to take a trip with the whole family, including the pets.

“Being able to head off to the countryside and allow dogs to be taken on long walks or to run about free is an excellent opportunity, but many caravan hire companies will not permit dogs to be allowed on board,” the firm explained.

That is why it has made the decision to create a selection of special hire vehicles for dog owners.

However, those who wish to rent a caravan that has not been used by dogs can still do so as it will only be part of Amber’s service.

Meanwhile, the Gloucestershire Echo recently reported that a caravan salvage firm is set to move to a new site in the area.

Flintshire caravan site up for national award

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by Chris Malone

A Flintshire caravan park has been nominated for a prize in the Best Place to Stay category of the National Tourism Awards for Wales.

Tree Tops has won many awards in recent years, including 18 consecutive first place gongs in the Wales In Bloom contest and special commendations from the David Bellamy Gold Awards.

It is a family-run business that has been operated by the Walkers since its inception in the 1960s, the Flintshire Chronicle reported.

“Maintaining our high standards requires a lot of commitment and hard work so recognition for this would mean a lot to us,” general manager Andrew Walker told the newspaper.

He added that it would be particularly special to win the award in the firm’s 50th year, noting that the park is up against some stiff competition.

The Visit Wales contest has seen 53 companies shortlisted after more than 400 applied and Tree Tops stands a real chance of victory.

In other news, the Welsh town of Prestatyn has been attracting walkers by the thousand, thanks to local initiatives to encourage the hobby.

Bailey Caravans raises prices across all 2011 model ranges

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by Marcus Dubois

Bailey Caravans has announced today a 2.5% increase in prices across the entire model range, to take place with immediate effect.

The Bristol-based caravan manufacturer cited “increases in both raw material and component costs plus adverse currency variations” as the reasons behind the review of its existing price structure.

All models across the Bailey Olympus and Bailey Pegasus ranges will be affected, as well as the Seville, Valencia and Barcelona in the Bailey Unicorn line-up. However prices of the recently launched Unicorn Madrid and Unicorn Almeria will remain unaffected as they already reflect this increase.

Delayed impact

Visitors to last week’s International Caravan and Motorhome 2010 at the NEC can be reassured that they came away with a good deal. Bailey has claimed today that “unlike other manufacturers” the firm held off implementing a price increase at the start of the new model year in September “to offer customers greater value during this key sales period”.

The firm also noted that over the past six weeks its Retailer Network “has enjoyed its most successful period ever in terms of retail sales activity” and orders for Bailey caravan models are said to be lined up for well into 2011.

The price increases in full

The new prices are applicable on all caravans delivered from Monday 18th October onwards, with the exception of those units which have already been retailed. These remain guaranteed at the current pricing levels (1st September 2010).

Bailey has revealed there are currently limited stocks of pre-price increase models still available on Retailer Sites – those interested in purchasing such caravans should contact their local agent as soon as possible.

New prices for Bailey Olympus
Olympus 462 £ 13,730
Olympus 464 £ 14,240
Olympus 504 £ 14,855
Olympus 525 £ 14,960
Olympus 534 £ 14,855
Olympus 546 £ 15,060
Olympus 624 £ 15,985
New prices for Bailey Pegasus
Pegasus 462 £ 15,940
Pegasus 514 £ 16,795
Pegasus 524 £ 16,795
Pegasus 534 £ 16,895
Pegasus 546 £ 17,005
Pegasus 554 £ 17,005
Pegasus 624 £ 18,385
Pegasus 646 £ 18,720
New prices for Bailey Unicorn
Unicorn Seville £ 17,420
Unicorn Madrid £ 18,295
Unicorn Valencia £ 18,445
Unicorn Almeria £ 18,495
Unicorn Barcelona £ 20,185

Caravan holidays praised

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by Chris Malone

A recent article in the Express and Star has praised caravan holidays to the heavens, with the story looking at the experiences of Alison Mason.

She explained how she and her two sisters loved their childhood breaks so much that they each own a mobile home now.

The Masons often took their daughters to Barretts of Feckenham close to their home, where school office manager Alison had her first holiday at the age of just six months.

“It was only a few miles away from our home but it could have been anywhere. It was a completely different world – and I loved it,” she told the newspaper.

Caravanning helped forge close family bonds in the Mason household and they still regularly take trips together to this day.

It would appear that they are not alone, with an estimated one million people taking such breaks in the UK every year.

In other news, the Visitor reported today (October 12th) that a Morcambe caravan owner has had their £14,000 mobile home stolen.

Caravan sites in Wales praised for economic contribution

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by Chris Malone

The owners of caravan sites in Wales have been praised for their sterling work in building the industry in the country.

According to the Daily Post, Welsh heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones and Tony Bywater was joined by Salop Leisure chairman Tony Bywater in congratulating the country’s park owners for setting exceptional standards.

Visit Wales has bestowed a total of 24 five-star gradings on sites this year, meaning 2010 has set a new record.

“The caravan parks sector in Wales has a valuable role to play in the tourism industry’s ability to help deliver jobs and income, helping to sustain our economy during recession and growing it thereafter,” Mr Jones was quoted as saying.

He added that park owners deserve to be congratulated for their achievements and commitment to improving quality, which is vital for keeping visitors coming back.

In other news, a millionaire farmer is suing the Ministry of Defence after claiming that fighter jets damaged his home so badly that he was forced to live in a caravan.

VIDEO: Caravan and Motorhome Show – AS Caravans

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by Holly Tribe and Marcus Dubois
Live from the NEC Birmingham at International Caravan and Motorhome 2010. Marcus Dubois, reporting from the ‘Swift City’ area, speaks to members of the public about their experiences of this year’s show. Meanwhile, Holly Tribe interviews Geoff Scott from AS Caravans about their new range of caravans.

VIDEO: Caravan and Motorhome Show – Live Roundup

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by Marcus Dubois and Holly Tribe

It’s been another busy day at the Caravan and Motorhome Show. Celebrity chef Lesley Waters put in an appearance at the cookery theatre with live cookery demonstrations, and Caravan Times editor Marcus Dubois has been speaking with Richard White, Marketing Director of the Swift Group.

Swift Caravans were one of the stars of an action-packed show this year at International Caravan and Motorhome 2010. The manufacturer took over much of Hall 6 and 19 to form “Swift City”,

Please join us again for more live updates coming soon.

Bye for now.

Jets force millionaire to live in caravan

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by Chris Malone

A millionaire farmer has claimed that Royal Air Force (RAF) jets have forced him to move out of his dream home and into a caravan.

Rodney O’Brien’s grade II-listed property has allegedly sustained serious structural damage from low-flying Hawk fighter jets flying out of RNAS Yeovilton.

The RAF base is just three miles from Springfield House – his £1.75 million Kingsdon property in Somerset.

Mr O’Brien claims that vibrations caused by sound waves have destroyed his chimney, cracked walls and damaged stone archways used to hold up the ceilings in the cellar.

He told the High Court that he was forced to live in a caravan while repairs were carried out and is now suing the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for £143,000 in compensation.

However, while the MOD admits causing some damage, it refutes the scale of Mr O’Brien’s claim, stating that he has added the cost of redecorating and upgrading his home to the total.

Meanwhile, the owners of Welsh caravan parks have been applauded for their collective efforts to create a bustling scene, the Daily Post reported.

VIDEO: What’s on at Caravan and Motorhome Show Day 2

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by Marcus Dubois

Our editor takes you through the highlights at the start of Day 2 of International Caravan and Motorhome 2010.

Celebrity chef Lesley Waters will the star attraction today at an action packed show at the NEC in Birmingham. The Ready, Steady, Cook star will be showing caravanners and motorhomers how to make tasty meals from 12-2pm on the Cookery Stand.

In addition those new to towing caravans can take the Caravan Club’s famous Towing and Manoeuvres course outside the NEC, where instructors will be using the Towcars of the Year to demonstrate safe caravanning.

Find out more throughout the week here at caravantimes.co.uk