Arsonists torch caravan next to police station

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A caravan owner has been left devastated and shocked after her mobile home was torched by arsonists while parked just metres from a police station.

The incident occurred on Portal Avenue next to Suffolk Police Headquarters on January 2nd.

Despite wishing to remain nameless, the caravan’s female owner expressed her dismay that nobody has come forward with information on the crime.

She is offering a £1,000 reward to those who help convict the arsonists and revealed that cars leaving the police station have a good view of where it was located.

“We worked out there must have been around 400 people [in the building] and you would think someone might have noticed,” she told the East Anglia Daily Times.

The owner revealed that the crime could have turned to tragedy as she had realised a few weeks earlier that someone had forced entry to the mobile home and was using it as temporary accommodation.

The kind-hearted woman revealed that she had let the person stay there as she was concerned for their wellbeing in the snow over the Christmas period.

According to the Met Office, heavy snow is forecast for Yorkshire and Humber today (January 11th) and Wales tomorrow.

Snow fans use caravans to hit the slopes

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The recession has not put the brakes on holidays for skiers and snowboarders, who have turned to caravans to help them spend some cost-effective time on the snow.

According to caravan insurance provider Safeguard, it has noticed a marked rise in customers asking for quotes that cover them for heading to European ski resorts.

The firm explained that this makes sense as caravans offer affordable, yet comfortable accommodation, as well as enough room for all of your ski and snowboard equipment.

It said the fall of the sterling against the euro has made breaks to the Alps more expensive, but caravan owners could forgo the extra cost by taking their mobile home with them.

Safeguard manager Rita Sadler suggested that the financial downturn may have hit holidaymakers in the pocket.

“Skiing and snowboarding fans who have been looking forward to their winter break all year are seeking ways to cut costs without cutting their holiday short or even worse cancelling it completely,” she added.

Popular ski resorts in France include Chamonix, Alpe d’Huez and Tignes.

Parkdean explains May Day celebrations

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Caravan site operator Parkdean has taken the time to explain the history behind May Day and why it is still celebrated in some parts of Britain to this day.

Taking place on May 1st, many people now use the May Day bank holiday weekend to get away for a caravan trip.

However, it was traditionally celebrated by UK villagers, who would awake at dawn to collect flowers and twigs to construct a maypole.

The celebrations were generally held to mark the coming of spring and took place throughout Europe in many different forms.

In England, people would dance around the maypole to music played by a piper, with each child holding a coloured ribbon and circling the pole, skipping in time.

The effect would be that the ribbons ended up plaited together around the maypole, creating a colourful display.

Some villages still celebrate the coming of spring in this way even today.

Meanwhile, Parkdean recently set up an online booking section on its website, meaning that caravanners should now find it even easier to organise a holiday at one of its 24 sites around the UK.

Parkdean launches new online booking system

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Caravan site operator Parkdean has launched a new online booking system in response to demand from its customers.

It will allow holidaymakers wishing to make use of the park operator’s 11 sites that offer touring and camping facilities to book their pitch using the internet.

Payment can now be carried out online too, using a credit or debit card, and getting started is easy as booking criteria can be added to the panel at the left hand side of every page on the company’s website.

“We have made this process as simple as possible for you so that you can enjoy booking your holiday stress free in a few minutes,” Parkdean noted.

It added that its 11 sites that offer touring and camping facilities are set in some of the most scenic locations in Britain, with a range of standard, service and star pitches on offer.

Meanwhile, Parkdean will have representatives at the Boat & Caravan Show in Birmingham’s NEC from February 23rd to 28th.

Caravanners could explore inland waterways

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Caravan holidaymakers may be among the increasing numbers visiting inland waterway attractions.

According to the British Marine Federation, such tourism has seen massive growth over the last year, boosted by the trend for staycations.

Executive director Howard Pridding said at the Tullet Prebon London International Boat Show that currency values and the rise in the number of Brits holidaying at home have helped to boost revenue for inland waterway tourism.

In fact, income for the 2008/09 season rose by 1.9 per cent to £3.16 billion, according to the industry’s official statistics.

“Often despite the marketing that we do, the inland waterways are a hidden asset to this country and once people discover them they continue to take a holiday [there],” Mr Pridding explained.

He added that there are 200 miles of canal network in the Midlands and stretching across the country, just waiting to be explored.

The Tullet Prebon London International Boat Show runs from January 8th to 17th at ExCel in the capital.

Caravan site plan recommended for approval

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Kirkby villagers have responded with dismay to the decision of Hambleton District Council to recommend planning permission be granted for an extension to a local caravan site.

Toft Hill Farm holiday park has applied for consent to build another 15 static caravan pitches as well as an amenity block, the Darlington and Stockton Times reported.

The controversial plans have caused residents of the Cleveland village to object to the extension to the site, which already hosts 30 static caravans.

A site visit planned for Monday (January 4th) was unable to go ahead, which has delayed the final decision on the application, although the recommendation from the district council seems to have boosted the caravan park’s chances of success.

Locals feel that the single-track access road to the site is dangerous for walkers and horses and increasing the number of available pitches could subject it to more traffic.

Meanwhile, an Aberdeenshire caravan storage site is to be redeveloped into a holiday park, the Press & Journal has revealed.

Park Holidays UK’s new website

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British-based caravan site operator Park Holidays UK has launched its new website, allowing customers to find out all about its facilities and book stays at its parks.

According to the firm, the online resource has been well received so far, with many caravanners getting in touch to praise the changes.

“I would just like to say how easy and informative I found your new website. I found it easy to compare prices from different sites, dates etc,” said one customer from Kent. “I will be using this to make my summer booking.”

The company thanked Red Bullet Web Design for its stellar work on the site, as well as the staff at Park Breaks and Insite for their efforts in creating the new booking system.

To ensure that its online resource is 100 per cent perfect, Park Holidays is offering its customers £10 off a holiday if they spot a fault and report it.

Meanwhile, commercial director Tony Clish recently wrote to caravanners who have stayed with the firm before, noting that the cold winter has done little to delay its improvement plans.

Caravan owners urged to scrape windscreens

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Caravan owners planning on towing their mobile home over the coming weeks have been warned to scrape their windscreens to rid them of ice and snow.

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), this is the correct course of action rather than leaving vehicles unattended with the engine running to defrost the motor.

The organisation noted that thieves are increasingly taking advantage of such mistakes by making off with vehicles.

Lancashire police recently logged 27 thefts using this method in just two hours, despite the prison sentences handed to a number of crooks branded the Ice Bandits during 2009.

If a vehicle is left unattended with the keys in the ignition, insurance companies may be within their rights not to pay out in the event of a theft.

If a caravan happens to be attached to the car at the time then victims could be dealt a double blow in the event of such a crime.

Meanwhile, the ABI recently published a good practice guide to help customers buying insurance online.

Caravan destinations face tax rise

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Caravan owners who regularly enjoy trips to Devon and Cornwall could find their experience soured after it was revealed that many of the area’s tourism businesses are being hit with large increases in business rates.

The tax rises affect not only caravan sites, but petrol stations, livestock markets, beach huts, zoos and even sports grounds, according to the Cornish Guardian.

Pubs have reported that their ratable values have doubled, while lifeboat stations have also experienced a rise of 142 per cent.

The increases were criticised by Conservative shadow local government minister Justine Greening, who said that local businesses will face big problems when the changes come into effect in April.

“It is the height of economic incompetence for Labour ministers to change the way that a £21 billion tax works in the middle of a devastating recession without any impact assessment,” she said.

Ms Greening added that it is the “worst possible time for such a rates shake-up”.

Devon and Cornwall are popular destinations among caravan owners, who can enjoy the countryside, local hospitality and beaches all within a short drive.

Caravan park owners to learn fate

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The owners of a caravan park near Stokesley in Cleveland will soon discover whether they will be allowed to add an increased number of pitches.

The Toft Hill Farm site in Kirkby has applied for permission to house 15 further static caravans, with Hambleton District Council Development Management Committee set to vote on the matter tomorrow (January 7th).

According to the Gazette Live the application has been met with opposition from local residents, who have held meetings to discuss the issue.

The planning consent form asks for permission to change agricultural land into space for all-year-round static caravans for holiday use, as well as the construction of an amenity building.

“It really is a big issue for the village,” objector David Chadwick told the news provider.

“Between 50 or 60 people turned up to a meeting to discuss it. There are only 90 households in the village.”

Meanwhile, caravan owners have been urged to check their tyres, with mytyre.co.uk highlighting the dangers of unsafe treads on icy and snowy roads

Skidding most drivers’ nightmare

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Caravan owners familiar with dealing with the UK’s unpredictable weather when towing their mobile home around may be able to empathise with the respondents to a recent Mytyres.co.uk poll.

The survey of almost 1,000 motorists found that more than half (55 per cent) of drivers in the UK rated skidding on wet roads as their “worst nightmare”.

Breaking down on the road was second on the list, while just three per cent of motorists were concerned about getting a puncture while on the road.

According to the online resource, an increasing number of drivers are putting off replacing worn tyres, which increases their risk of skidding out of control, especially on wet roads.

It explained that the recommendation is to replace tyres before their tread wears down to 1.6mm, which is also the legal minimum.

However, the firm suggested that sensible drivers should start to consider replacing them when there is around 3mm left as it is best to err on the side of caution.

Meanwhile, the company has advised motorists to take care when driving on the roads this week, due to the snow and icy conditions being experienced by the UK.

Take care of tyres during snowy period

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With the UK set for more chilly weather and the potential for further snow, motorists are being warned about treacherous conditions on the roads.

Mytyres.co.uk has suggested that now might be a good time to ensure that the tyres on cars, caravans and motor homes are both legal and safe as they could make the difference between arriving safely and an accident.

There are a number of checks that should be carried out, including tread depth, tyre pressure, the spare wheel, valves and uneven wear.

Tread depth should be kept well above the legal minimum of 1.6mm, while tyre pressure should be set at the manufacturer’s recommended level.

Meanwhile, the spare tyre should be in good condition and all air valves should be free of dirt as this can let air out.

Uneven wear may be a sign of misalignment and drivers should have this rectified to avoid needless expense in having to buy new tyres on a regular basis.

In other news, a recent Mytyres.co.uk poll found that 55 per cent of drivers rate skidding on wet roads as their worst motoring nightmare.