A LOCAL council is calling for wild campers with caravans and motorhomes to be banned this summer due to overcrowding and people even pooing in public. UK domestic holidays are booming again this summer due to uncertainty over foreign trips abroad. This has led to huge demand for campsites and holiday parks, with some even […]
A LOCAL council is calling for wild campers with caravans and motorhomes to be banned this summer due to overcrowding and people even pooing in public.
UK domestic holidays are booming again this summer due to uncertainty over foreign trips abroad.
This has led to huge demand for campsites and holiday parks, with some even selling out.
However, a parish council in North Devon, which has the popular Woolacombe Beach as part of its authority, has called for the government to be allowed to ban wild camping.
Wild camping, which is when camping at a non-authorised area, has caused a number of problems including overcrowded roads as well as many pooing in public due to the lack of toilets available.
It has also led to car parks and road sides to be cause gridlocks.
Mortehoe Parish Council wants to change the rules which mean all campers, including caravans and motorhomes, must use registered camping grounds instead.
This means that families will have to pay to camp overnight rather than stay for free.
Councillor Don Duffield, chairman of the parish council, told local media: “Over the years there has been considerable abuse of the area by so called ‘wild campers’, on private land and also on the highway.
“One particular concern at present is the Esplanade at Woolacombe, where ever increasing numbers are staying overnight, in spite of there being signage indicating No Overnight parking from midnight to 6am.
“Last year brought this to a head, when with the public toilets closed, it was blatantly obvious that these campers were carrying out their ablutions on the grass or in the bushes, and disposing of their other waste randomly, with no concern to the local area.
“We have no problem with visitors to the area – in fact the whole village encourages them – but in the proper place namely the number of camp sites that there are in the local vicinity.”
While campsites are a more affordable option, this will make a domestic holiday more expensive with many pitches starting from £10 per night.
Last summer, Brits faced being banned from a number of beauty spots around the UK after groups left behind used wet wipes and toilet roll and even faeces.
Some badly-behaved Brits forced campsites to close early for the season.
Stonethwaite Campsite in the Lake District was forced to stop all bookings for the next few weeks after large groups turned up despite the limit for just six people per pitch.
They said: “We have a strict no noise after 11pm rule and do patrol to enforce it, but some seem to think it’s acceptable to play music and party until 4am, upsetting the groups around them.”
“Disposal of rubbish is another issue we are contending with as the abandoned camping equipment – tents, airbeds, gazebos, chairs, cool boxes, etc – simply adds to the sheer volume we need to get rid of.”
Some campsites are having to stay closed until May, with the UK lockdown rules not allowing parks with shared facilities to reopen.
However, UK campsites have been forced to add more sites due to demand as families are booking ahead of April 12, when some domestic trips can go ahead.
Here are some of the best campsites with availability for the summer.
