Outdoor store notices caravan sales rise

Posted by

An Enfield outdoor store has noticed a large rise in demand for caravan equipment and cold weather gear over the past few weeks.

Outdoor Bits, which is located in Green Lanes, told the Enfield Independent that it has recorded a surge in sales of up to 30 per cent since the recent blizzard conditions descended on the UK.

Director David Burley explained that gas-related heating products have been selling well, while batteries for cars and motorhomes have proven popular due to the cold weather.

“Snowbelts, which are like snowchains, and shovels [have also been selling well],” he told the newspaper.

“We’re probably up 25 to 30 per cent on sales over what we would expect for this time of year.”

Mr Burley added that the recession has also boosted caravan-related sales as Brits look more at holidaying in the UK to save cash.

Tooled Up – another local store- also revealed that sales of heating products, flasks, torches, shovels and even chainsaws have almost doubled since the snowstorms began.

Meanwhile, the Association of British Insurers has urged caravan owners to avoid leaving their motor with the engine running to defrost snow or ice on the windshield.

Touring Europe third place in ‘things to do before I die’ poll

Posted by

You’d be forgiven for thinking that cruises and bowls are the things old age pensioners look forward to when retiring, such are the stereotypes. However a new study commissioned by insurers Aviva higlights a growing band of ‘Go.A.Ps’ who describe the first year post-work as ‘brilliant’. And in a poll of pensioners asked about ‘things to do before you die’, touring Europe in a caravan was right up there in third place.

In first place 47% surveyed said they would love to visit some of the Seven Wonders of the World, while learning a language made second place. Meanwhile a few results from the top 10 will surprise some: 12% of pensioners said they would like to go out with a younger man or woman before they die, while 11% said they’d like to drive a Ferrari.

Todays new pensioners are more active than ever, with an average of eight social engagements a week. They’re not dragging their other halfs to functions either – many stressed that romance is a “top priority” while their relationships have never been so good. And the post-work buzz continues when they were questioned on the hoary old subject of age. Those asked believed society won’t consider them “old” before at least 68, and so ‘look forward to enjoying themselves for years’.

Twenty years ago those surveyed believed that they would spend retirement babysitting for their grandchildren, gardening and reading. Yet today’s retired are taking up photography (25%), going out with friends, and have a list of things to do that include starting their own business and skydiving.

As the ‘baby-boomer’ generation of the 1950s grows into the pensioners of today, Caravan Times is reminded of a quote from former prime minister Harold MacMillan in 1957: “You’ve never had it so good”.

Volkswagen Golf voted best towcar at caravan awards

Posted by

It is an often stated misconception that the best cars for towing caravans are the biggest. Granted, large 4Ã-4s and estates crop up in every list due to their impressive grip and power. However traits such as handling and acceleration are equally as important in towing. And when this is taken into account some surprises can occur.

This year the Caravan Club voted for the Towcar Of The Year, and the result threw up one of the most familar names in family motoring. The Volkswagen Golf particularly impressed the 10 judges with strong performances when towing in a variety of situations, practicality as a caravanning family car and high quality cabin.

28 cars tested in this year’s competition were put through their paces at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire. Each car was tested for its towing ability, acceleration, braking, ability to cope with demanding hill starts and an assessment of usability in terms of everyday caravanning.

Explaining the judges’ decision to award the Golf the top accolade, driving judge Barry Williams commented: ‘Absolutely faultless stability made the Golf steadfast on the test track and when the punchy engine had whisked its way to 60 mph it was still ready to accelerate, even in sixth gear. Agile handling enables the car to tackle the most demanding route. The
Volkswagen Golf SE 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS is a truly capable towing vehicle and a worthy winner.’

Below Caravan Times profiles the winners in each category from this year’s awards.

Under £16,000 Class
Shortlisted:
Kia Soul Shaker 1.6 CRDi
Renault Kangoo Expression dCi 106

Winner: Kia Soul Shaker 1.6 CRDi
The Soul Shaker gives a spirited performance, has a usable bodyshape and promises low running costs. The 1.6-litre diesel engine offers reasonable amounts of power and torque for a car of this size. As a towcar for small caravans or trailer tents, Kia’s hatchback is a worthy winner. Biggish door mirrors and a high driving position add to the Soul’s towing credentials.

£16,000 to £20,000 Class
Shortlisted:
Peugeot 3008 Exclusive THP 150
Renault Megane Hatch Dynamique dCi 130
Toyota Verso 2.0 D-4D Man
Volkswagen Golf SE 2.0TDI

Winner: Volkswagen Golf SE 2.0TDI (Overall Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2010)
The Golf has a great quality cabin with excellent fit and finish, and simple, intuitive switchgear and instrumentation that puts everything where you expect it to be. Absolutely faultless stability made this car steadfast on the test track, and when the punchy engine had whisked its way to 60mph it was still ready to accelerate, even in sixth gear. Agile handling enables the car to tackle the most demanding route.

£20,000 to £25,000 Class
Shortlisted:
Mazda6 2.2D Estate TS2
Renault Grand Scenic Dynamique dCi 160 FAP
Seat Exeo 2.0TDI Sport
Skoda Octavia Scout 2.0TDI 140bhp DPF
Skoda Superb Elegance 2.0TDI 140bhp DPF
Skoda Yeti 2.0TDI 140bhp 4×4 Elegance
Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 D-4D Tourer
Vauxhall Insignia SE Nav 2.0 (160) CDTI Hatch
Volkswagen Golf Plus SE 2.0TDI DSG

Winner: Mazda6 2.2D Estate TS2
With a flexible engine, bags of low-down torque and a six-speed gearbox that is not only good to use but well mated to the engine, it’s no surprise this is a very worthy class winner. Towing 1347kg, the good-looking estate car romped up the long 14% hill in third gear and tackled a 17% stop-and-restart quite easily. A super car at a great price.

£25,000 to £32,000 Class

Shortlisted:
Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 EX Tech
Isuzu Rodeo 3.0 Denver Max LE Sport
Skoda Superb Elegance 3.6 V6 4×4 DSG
Subaru Forester 2.0D XSn
Toyota RAV4 SR 2.2 D-4D Auto
Volvo XC60 SE D5 AWD
Volvo XC60 2.4D DRIVe SE LUX

Winner: Volvo XC60 SE D5 AWD
This vehicle has an extra powerful version of Volvo’s excellent five-cylinder engine as well as AWD. Gear changes are smooth and speed builds up rapidly when needed. Terms such as ‘confident’, ‘sure-footed’ and ‘doesn’t feel like it’s towing’, were used plentifully by the judges. Volvo has produced another excellent towcar.

Over £32,000 Class

Shortlisted:
Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel S Portfolio
Land Rover Discovery 4 TDV6 HSE
Lexus RX450h SE-L
Mercedes-Benz C250 BlueEfficiency Estate Sport
Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI BlueEfficiency Sport
Volvo XC70 D5 SE LUX Premium

Winner: Land Rover Discovery 4 TDV6 HSE
If you want a car that will take you and your caravan anywhere in absolute comfort, you need look no further than the latest Discovery. Tap on the screen display and you can set the chassis especially for caravan towing, which results in faultless stability and a comfortable ride as you sit cosseted in the well-designed and practical interior.

All-Wheel Drive Vehicles Under 1800kg

Shortlisted:
Skoda Superb Elegance 3.6 V6 4×4 DSG
Skoda Octavia Scout 2.0 TDI 140bhp DPF
Skoda Yeti 2.0TDI 140bhp 4×4 Elegance
Subaru Forester 2.0D XSn
Toyota RAV4 SR 2.2 D-4D Auto

Winner: Skoda Superb Elegance 3.6 V6 4×4 DSG
The Superb proved itself a capable towcar by taking the top prize in the 2009 contest. For 2010 it was back, packing a 260bhp V6 engine and four-wheel drive. The Superb feels as solid as a rock, and it handles so well you can push it hard through twisty roads with real confidence. The Elegance version has a well turned out cabin and luxurious surroundings.

All-Wheel Drive Vehicles Over 1800kg

Shortlisted:
Isuzu Rodeo 3.0 Denver Max LE Sport
Lexus RX450h SE-L
Land Rover Discovery 4 TDV6 HSE
Volvo XC70 D5 SE LUX Premium
Volvo XC60 SE D5 AWD

Winner: Land Rover Discovery 4 TDV6 HSE

A second award for the latest incarnation of the iconic Discovery. This car may be heavier than a Rolls Royce but has impeccable on-road manners with little noticeable body roll when taking corners.

18 caravans destroyed in blaze at caravan storage yard

Posted by

Firefighters from across Hampshire tackled a blaze at a caravan storage park on Sunday.

18 caravans were destroyed with another 20 left seriously damaged by smoke and heat following the outbreak of fire at around 3pm. An eyewitness made a 999 phone call on September 27th to report smoke and flames coming from a caravan storage yard in Main Road, Colden Common.

Firefighters from Eastleigh, Winchester asnd St Mary’s fire stations were summoned to the scene along with a water carrier from Fareham. On arrival crews found a number of caravans on fire and moved to quickly bring the flames under control. The crews then worked to contain the fire from spreading through the storage yard which is home to many hundreds of caravans.

The fire was put out shortly after five o’clock on Sunday, two hours after the emergency call was made. Firefighters reported that 18 caravans had been destroyed and a further 20 were damaged by smoke and heat. The crews then stayed into the night at the scene damping down and looking for hot spots in other caravans.

The cause of the fire is now subject to an investigation by the Hampshire Arson Task Force.

Volkswagen Golf voted Towcar of the Year

Posted by

It is an often stated misconception that the best cars for towing caravans are the biggest. Granted, large 4×4s and estates crop up in every list due to their impressive grip and power. However traits such as handling and acceleration are equally as important in towing. And when this is taken into account some surprises can occur.

This year the Caravan Club voted for the Towcar Of The Year , and the result threw up one of the most familar names in family motoring. The Volkswagen Golf particularly impressed the 10 judges with strong performances when towing in a variety of situations, practicality as a caravanning family car and high quality cabin.

28 cars tested in this year’s competition were put through their paces at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire. Each car was tested for its towing ability, acceleration, braking, ability to cope with demanding hill starts and an assessment of usability in terms of everyday caravanning.

Explaining the judges’ decision to award the Golf the top accolade, driving judge Barry Williams commented: ‘Absolutely faultless stability made the Golf steadfast on the test track and when the punchy engine had whisked its way to 60 mph it was still ready to accelerate, even in sixth gear. Agile handling enables the car to tackle the most demanding route. The Volkswagen Golf SE 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS is a truly capable towing vehicle and a worthy winner.’

Below is a list of the winners in each category:

Under £16,000

Kia Soul Shaker 1.6 CRDi

£16,000 to £20,000

Volkswagen Golf SE 2.0TDI

£20,000 to £25,000

Mazda6 2.2D Estate TS2

£25,000 to £32,000

Volvo XC60 SE D5 AWD

Over £32,000

Land Rover Discovery 4 TDV6 HSE

All-Wheel Drive Vehicles Under 1800kg

Skoda Superb Elegance 3.6 V6 4×4 DSG

All-Wheel Drive Vehicles Over 1800kg

Land Rover Discovery 4 TDV6 HSE

Overall Winner

Volkswagen Golf SE 2.0TDI

Caravan Guard cut call costs for customers

Posted by

On New Year’s Day 1985, comedian Ernie Wise made Britain’s first cellphone call. Incredibly it has only taken two decades for nearly every person in this country to owns a mobile (and often use it as their primary telephone). Yet despite this revolution, mobile phone users still face problems when interacting with their fixed-line counterparts.

The issue is a financial one. Since Orange introduced charges for dialing freephone numbers in December 2005 all British networks today charge for calls to these numbers. There are certain limited exemptions (such as Childline) but in a world where mobiles are ubiquitous, is the term ‘freephone’ misleading?

Specialist insurance firm Caravan Guard certainly think so. The company discovered during research that caravan and motorhome owners could be paying up to £2.50 for a ten minute call when ringing the industry standard 0800, 0845 and 0870 numbers from mobile phones. If a caravan owner made a call to their insurer from their mobile while on holiday, they could be charged as much as 25p a minute.

And despite the proliferation of ‘free minutes’ packages, nearly every provider excludes ’08’ numbers from these deals. The issue became a political one when Liberal Democrat Shadow Business Secretary John Thurso called for customer service numbers to be free of charge regardless of the device being used. Amazingly, some customer service lines using the 0870 prefix can cost up to 40p a minute from any line. This means that if placed on hold for an hour, the call could cost almost £25.

Following this research Caravan Guard has now placed a standard ’01’ number on its adverts, website and policy documents. Standard ’01’ numbers are generally included in ‘free minutes’ packages and cheaper to call from a mobile when charges apply.

Director Ryan Wilby is in charge of communications at Caravan Guard and recognises the costs caravan owners face when on holiday. “By analysing our incoming calls we have found that 20% of caravan and motorhome owners call our call centre from their mobile – many when they are away with their ‘van. We know that the 0845 numbers, and 0800 freephone numbers can still be costly to call from mobiles. It’s for this reason we now provide an additional ‘local’ standard landline number for mobile phone users to call – it means customers can always choose the cheapest option when calling us.”

In case you’re curious and are looking to save the new number in your mobiles, the inclusive mobile minute friendly number is 01422 396 777. For more information about Caravan Guard please click here.

First picture of Bailey Pegasus: a revolution in caravan design

Posted by

Earlier this month Caravan Times announced the arrival of an all-new caravan from premier manufacturers Bailey Caravans. With a teaser campaign starting a wave of online chatter and debate, the Bristol maker promised a ‘passport to adventure’.

Today we can finally reveal images of the caravan which Bailey believe is a significant leap forward in design. “One day all caravans will be made this way” is the bullish statement coming from Bristol. And the buzzword around the launch is the term “Alu-Tech”.

The Pegasus is the first of it’s kind in the caravan industry and shares many similarities with the monocoque designs used in cars. Alu-Tech is a system where the individual body shell compontents all work towards the overall strength of the structure, as opposed to traditionally relying on the chassis and floor.

Bailey’s new model was built as a reaction to the ubiquitous sandwich construction design which has been in use by caravan makers since the early 1980s. The Bristol outfit believe this basic design (supplemented by front and rear plastic panels) has not changed for thirty years. In this same period car design has advanced considerably.

Enter Bailey with the revolutionary Alu-Tech system. Instead of the usual nine-part design, the Pegasus is made up of five main elements. Two laminated side panels are bonded to a traditional caravan floor, while a solid laminated back panel and a new single span front and roof section make up the rest. The panels are then clamped together with a bespoke aluminium framework to provide structural rigidity.

This may be a leap forward when considering one of the most common problems for caravan users: water ingress. Bailey have stated that the main benefit of the new design is the absence of any external fittings, which naturally reduces the opportunity for any water to enter the body shell. Add to this the development of timber-free body shell panels and the likelihood of water problems are reduced significantly. So confident are Bailey on this issue that they are offering a market-leading ten year integrity guarantee on the new Pegasus.

The superior strength of the Alu-Tech shell was tested in extraordinary fashion by the Bailey team, who placed a on the roof a weight well in excess of the MPTLM of the vehicle. A Ford Mondeo estate was topped by managing director Nick Howard to exert a weight of 1,630kgs on the structure.

As the first caravan to gain Grade III Insulation Thermal Classification and with five new patents pending, it’s not susprising that the Bailey Pegasus is big news. You can catch your first glimpse of the vehicle at the International Caravan and Motorhome 2009 held at the NEC, Birmingham, 13-18 October. For more information on the show click here, while further information on the Bailey Pegasus can be found at their website.

The top ten caravan gadgets

Posted by

What kind of equipment defines the 21st century caravanner?

We at Caravan Times put our heads together to debate the top ten gadgets we’d like on our next caravan holiday. From the cheap and cheerful to the virtually indestructible, it’s everything you don’t need but secretly would like to take with you…

1. Reich Motor Mover

Parking a caravan in a tight space is never for the faint-hearted. Enter the “motor mover”, a power plant fitted to the chassis of the caravan for moving it remotely. There are various ways to attach it to the wheels but the end result is remote-control operation. Mark from Caravan Movers Online believes it “saves clutch wear on your car if you’re regularly parking on a driveway”. We like the thought of playing Scalextric with a twenty foot caravan.

Where? Caravan Movers Online provides an excellent selection for all budgets and offer free installation on the Reich Move Control Compact. 0845 46 36 175.

How much? £1235.00

2. Super Solar Shower

If your shower breaks down and you’re nowhere near park facilities the potential for body odour increases.

The Super Solar Shower puts paid to this through harnessing the energy of the sun’s rays to heat water. You fill the bag with water, place it flat and wait for the sun to do its work. Three hours later hang the Solar Shower from the side of your caravan, turn the pressure valve, and make sure you’re not in plain view of others…

Where? Argos (www.argos.co.uk) and Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk) both offer the Solar Shower for under £10.

How much? £10.00

3. Coleman Fold N’ Go

This extremely tough portable stove also happens to be packaged in a clever folding design with a locking handle for ease of transport. Coleman is renowned for building durable outdoor products and the PerfectFlow system ensures cooking at extreme conditions and high altitudes. You need never miss your cooked breakfast again.

Where? Cotswold Outdoor (www.cotswoldoutdoor.com)

How much? £70.00

4. Lafuma RSXA Garden Chair

A chair based on NASA’s recommended reclining position? Lafuma have answered the question with the RSXA Garden chair designed to reduce muscle tension and pressure on the spine. Perfect for unfolding at a campsite and watching the world go by, you can do so safe in the knowledge that the Lafuma has got your back.

Where? Lafuma (www.lafuma.co.uk)

How much? £120.00

5. Land Rover S1 Phone

Mobiles and the great outdoors. Never the twain shall meet? Land Rover teamed up with mobile makers Sonim to create the indestructible phone. Dropped from a tall building, roasted in an oven, run over by a Land Rover itself and stomped on by an elephant, it still worked. Despite a 3-year guarantee, Caravan Times does not recommend reversing your outfit over the Land Rover S1.

Where? Tesco Mobile Phones (www.tescocontractmobilephones.com)

How much? Starting from £20 a month with free handset

Next page for gadgets 6 – 10.

Insure your caravan for a stress-free holiday

Posted by

The year 2009 has seen a record number of caravan users in the UK. British holidaymakers who would have taken trips abroad have opted for ‘staycations’ as a result of the global credit crunch.

Around 20% of holidays taken in the UK will be caravan breaks – that’s over 2 million holidaymakers looking to hitch and tow.
Yet insurer Towergate conducted a study two years ago in which it found that 27% of owners don’t bother to insure their caravans. This is despite the fact that one in ten caravanners made a claim over the last three years. And of those who claimed, 75% claimed for accidental damage.

Many caravan owners are aware that insurance is not compulsory. Yet an attempt to save money in the short term could prove costly. While some owners bank on being able to afford theft or damage costs, damage to another vehicle or property could leave them liable for huge costs.

Dave Sheath, MD of caravan insurers Towergate Bakers, commented “Not only can some of the top of the range caravans set you back well over £20,000 if they are stolen, the damage you can cause to third parties can be enormous.”

Taking out caravan insurance can be as confusing as any other market however. With a myriad of insurance policies on offer, choosing the right cover can be a daunting process.

Above all with the rise in casual users of caravans it has become vital that these holidaymakers ensure they are correctly insured for the type of trip they are taking.

We asked the Association of British Insurers whether it is becoming more important for people to double check their insurance policy before setting off.

A spokesperson for the ABI explained ‘Yes it is. If you are talking about people on holiday and taking luggage with them to a campsite for example, it is important to ensure that their contents policy covers them for loss of possession outside of the home.”

Unfortunately for caravan users the problem of theft will only increase as more take to the roads. With around 1600 stolen each year, reports suggest police logs contain almost 10,000 unsolved caravan thefts. Insurance may be another cost to your holiday, yet in the long run it may prove money well spent if the worst happens.

Take a look at our top 10 reasons to insure for more details…

TOWING: Britain’s most reliable cars for 2009

Posted by

Reliability. It’s the last thing a caravan owner needs at the back of their mind when driving a towcar. When pulling a caravan however large or small, an owner needs to be sure their car will last the trip. Dependability is essential for a good towing workhorse, yet despite modern car testing methods too often the biggest marques achieve surprisingly low scores in tests.

When buying a new car in today’s market, it pays in the long run to buy Japanese. That’s according to the latest Which Car? survey for 2009 in which the Honda Accord has scored an extraordinary 99% rating.

Seven of the top 10 new cars are Japanese, with another Honda (the Jazz) coming in second place. It proved an ultra-dependable small car with its 98% rating. The Hyundai i30 is a family-sized hatchback which came in fourth place at 97% and proved Korean cars are now a force in the marketplace.

The Which Car? 2009 report is the UK’s biggest study on car reliability. Owners were surveyed and gave their opinion on more than 84,000 modern cars. Questions were asked across the spectrum from breakdowns to minor niggles, to ascertain which cars are trouble-free and which might let you down.

Which? Car editor Richard Headland commented on the reliability of modern cars for taking trips. “Owning a reliable car can make the difference between getting your summer holiday off to a flying start and sitting on the hard shoulder of the M6. You can’t do better than the Honda Accord, which is one of the most reliable cars we’ve ever surveyed.”

More electronics, more problems?

Meanwhile despite the increase in electronic aids needed to run them, two electric hybrids made this year’s Top 10. Honda’s Civic Hybrid scored an impressive seventh place, whilst the Hollywood eco-warrior’s favourite Toyota Prius comes in at a respectable ninth.

Despite this, it turns out that electrical systems are one of the biggest problem areas identified in the survey. Manufacturers often load their cars with electronics designed to make cars more efficient, reliable and comfortable.

Why bigger isn’t necessarily better

Unfortunately for caravan fans many of the towing heavyweights made the top 10 least reliable. The Land Rover Discovery is often cited as a useful towcar with its powerful traction and strong torque from the 2.7 litre diesel engine. Yet both this model and the smaller Freelander feature at the bottom of the survey for dependability.

It’s not good news either for the Discovery’s main rival, the similarly sized Volvo XC90. The Swedish 4 x 4 may be popular with families for its seating layout and road presence, but it comes in eighth on the list of cars with the most issues.
And for those who shied away from SUVs when searching for a people carrier, the news is no better. Both of Ford’s major family cars scored poorly in the survey. The big Galaxy came in second on the list, whilst the sporty seven seater S-Max fared little better at sixth. Jaguar also bagged a brace of unwanted awards. The new award-winning XF saloon was designed to replace the outgoing S-type. Yet both feature in the top 10 least dependable vehicles on sale today in the UK.

Exceptions to the rule

Whilst Japanese cars make up the overwhelming majority of reliable cars surveyed, by no means does this form a rule of buying. The editor of Which? Car is Richard Headland, and he gave his thoughts. ‘Japanese cars in the main seem to run like clockwork, although there are a few exceptions to the rule’. These exceptions appear to be related to larger vehicles. Notably the medium-sized Japanese cars such as the Honda Civic (87%), Nissan Qashqai (87%) and Toyota Auris (86%) all fared badly in the new-car reliability rankings for 2009.

From the looks of things, it may be the case that caravan owners shopping for a new towcar will need to weigh up the any need for power against the extra electrical gremlins and niggling issues that may come with increased size. For now, it appears that in today’s car marketplace the more compact cars appear to rule the roost on reliability.

Photo gallery

Below is a picture gallery of the top 10 most reliable cars on sale today.

And the ten that propped up the bottom? We give you that list in full…

Caravans attract annual Road Fund Licence at last

Posted by

During April’s budget this year Caravan Times learned of plans to introduce a Road Fund Licence for caravaners. They were unveiled to bring these road users in line with the majority of other vehicles on the road, who pay for the privilege of using the ‘Queen’s highways.’

A Treasury spokesman offered the following comment. ‘It has long been unfair that dormobiles have been subject to tax, and yet caravans have not. They damage and wear road surfaces as equally as other road users, and contribute further pollution to the atmosphere as the vehicles towing them use more fuel. It is that we wish now to redress.’. ‘We propose a Road Fund Licence for caravans levied at £295 for twelve months, or £155 for six months.’.

New buyers of the blight of ordinary motorists must pay a showroom tax of nearly £1,000 from 2010 after caravans were targeted in a further overhaul of the ‘road tax regime’.

It is reported that new caravans may be hit with a first-year levy, of £150 in addition to the Road Fund Licence. However, the new scheme, in general, is expected to reduce British motorists’ carbon dioxide emissions by more than 5%, as new sales fall.

The fiscal crackdown was announced following the recent shakeup of vehicle excise duty for cars that expands the regime by six bands to 13 from next year, creating a top M band for the highest polluting cars. Cars that emit more than 255g of carbon dioxide per kilometre, such as the Chrysler Jeep and the Porsche Boxster, will be charged an increased top rate. Those that emit less than 130g of carbon dioxide per kilometre, such as the Peugeot 207 and Fiat Panda, will pay a reduced standard rate from next year, ranging from nothing for a VW Polo BlueMotion to £90 for a Panda.

Potential buyers of large vehicles are already reacting to high pump prices and negative publicity from green campaigners, according to sales figures which show that purchases of cars in the G band fell 15% last year to 150,000. Sales of low emissions cars in bands A and B grew 17% and are expected to overtake band G vehicles this year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

“Since the introduction of a CO2-based road tax in 2001, there has been a clear trend towards lower-CO2 new cars,” said AFD’s chief executive, Eve Paulritt, yesterday. “However, even the most non pollutant of cars, will produce more CO2 when under load, such as pulling a caravan, or trailer.”

Sir Norman Stratford, the RSAC ‘s president, has commented, however, that he believes the environmental impact of the new bands and the showroom tax would be small, following his initial report.

The Treasury said the proposals would raise an extra £1.2bn and would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 500,000 tonnes – less than 1% of the total emitted by all drivers annually.

The Chancellor, also published the final report of a review of low-carbon cars by Sir Norman and announced a £21m research programme. The report makes 40 recommendations for caravans – ranging from colour-coded tax discs that reflect the vehicle’s weight and size, teaching schoolchildren about the environmental impact of owning a caravan, to including road transport in the European Union emissions trading regime.

It is believed that the government will make its full response to Sir Norman’s report in the summer. The Chancellor deferred a 2p-per-litre rise in fuel duty until October 2008 after pressure from motorists and haulers. Fuel duty will then rise by 1.84p per this month and a further 0.5p in 2010.

Environmental campaigners, Planet Green, have said that this was a great opportunity, and welcomed the proposal. Their press release states, “Ordinary motorists are unnecessarily buying more fuel and are not seeing any contribution from caravaners, who slow average traffic speeds on motorways and A roads to an unacceptable level, causing many an incident, on otherwise clear and popular routes. A caravan increases travelling times, inconveniences others, and takes up more space on our roads. For this, the extra pollution that caravaners are responsible for, in towing caravans, and in causing innocent others affected by their actions to be more pollutant, themselves by being stuck in traffic jams, or taking longer to complete a journey than they otherwise would expect, caravaners must pay the penalty.”

The play which is performed inside a caravan

Posted by

Two years ago Britain witnessed some of the wettest weather on record, with mass flooding across the country in the summer of 2007. The Fire Brigades Union described the rescue effort as ‘its biggest ever peacetime mission’ while in some areas in Hull the water was around 6ft deep. A year after the floods, over five thousand people couldn’t return to their homes – and two thousand of those were living in caravans.

Young experimental theatre company Look Left Look Right are a documentary theatre company who reflect on the impact of the floods in their newest production The Caravan. The play is described by the company as an ‘intense and at times humourous half hour piece’ which puts both performers and audience in a 20-foot caravan.

Four cast members perform the play to eight audience members, all within the confines of the caravan itself. Written to applaud ‘the resilience of human nature’ as well as ‘give insight to how people cope in a crisis’ the choice of theatre may be considered highly unusual. Severely compromised in size with only eight people able to attend at one time, directors Mimi Poskitt and Ben Freedman believe it was the only choice.

“With The Caravan the venue is integral to the piece as a normal theatre just wouldn’t work. The audience are sitting with the performers, maybe only a foot apart, having tea with them, being asked to make space, or budge up. ”

When asked further about the insistence of using a caravan as the entire theatre rather than using a set on stage, the directors felt that realism was the key to this piece.

“It’s a very real experience, and as we’re using interviews from actual people still living in caravans it makes sense to set it in a caravan. Central to our story telling and productions are people, their experiences and their feelings. We feel that what people experienced in 2007’s floods should be reflected upon and remembered, with accuracy.”

The Guardian newspaper was full of praise for the production when the caravan was stationed outside of the Royal Court Theatre for performances earlier this year. “It is like having a chat with new-made friends over digestive biscuits.the cramped seating, the sound of rain on the roof and the enforced intimacy create a sweet directness in the piece.”

The Caravan is currently touring the country until the end of October, with full details below. More information about the play and the theatre company can be found here.

Drum Theatre Plymouth
Tues 15 – Sat 19 Sept, various performance times Tickets 01752 267 222
Website www.theatreroyal.com

Nuffield Theatre, Southampton
Tues 22 – Fri 25 Sept at 3.30, 4.15, 7, 7.45 & 8.30pm Tickets 023 8067 1771
Website www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk

Canterbury Festival
Wed 21 – Sat 24 Oct at 2.00, 2.50, 3.40, 4.30 & 5.20pm
Tickets 01227 378188
Website www.canterburyfestival.co.uk