Caravan owners to carry on protesting over age limits at Ingoldmells site

According to protestors, around 300 owners have been affected by a policy brought in by Fantasy Island which states vans which are 22 years old or more should be removed from the site.

Protests started mid-August and the final one should have been last Sunday.

However, one of the caravan owners, Simon Mullins, claims that while protesting, he was approached by Fantasy Island security and told to keep off their land and collect my vehicle.

Mr Mullins said: "I did try to contact Mellors and Fantasy Island including sending a complaint to them about this because in my view I can no longer access my caravan because they told me to leave site and keep off their land.

"The protests were due to finish last weekend but they are now going to run on selected dates through September to early November.

Age limits were brought in at the Fantasy Island site by the owners, Mellors Group. Mr Mullins, 40, says he has had a caravan on the site for a number of years.

"There’s two parts to the reason we are protesting," he said. "I have an agreement that allows me to remain on site with no age limit and this has been in place for years and was in place before Fantasy Island was bought by Mellors Group around a year ago.

"Last September I received a letter telling me they are now introducing an age limit and I either have to buy one of there caravans or leave site this year.

"We have tried to engage with Fantasy Island and Mellors Group but they have ignored us

"The other part to the protest is that they sold caravans to people last June, July and August, again telling people that there is no age limit.

"Then in September they wrote to those new owners and told them they are no longer honouring the agreement from the point of sale and that there is now an age limit - so you will either have to buy a new caravan or leave site in due course

"We have been protesting for around three weeks now and we tried to call a meeting with Fantasy Island and Mellors Group in July this year to try and find a resolution and solution to this, but they ignored us so the protests commenced mid August."

Fantasy Island is not the only caravan site along the coast to impose age limits.

In July, caravanners at a council-owned park in Ingoldmells stepped up their campaign against a policy that puts vans over 15 years old on the scrap heap. .

The caravanners at the Kingfisher Caravan Park in Ingoldmells have been fighting to stay on site for two years and are now taking East Lindsey District Council to court.

Our newspaper approached Fantasy Island regarding the protests but the company did not wish to comment.