'We can stay': Three days of worry ends for Ingoldmells caravanners told to leave site before lockdown

On Wednesday evening, as the sun set over the Priory Park in Ingoldmells, residents were breathing a sigh of relief after site owners Blue Anchor Leisure Ltd announced they could stay after all - just minutes before the deadline.

Government guidelines for the second lockdown which started on November 5 stated no-one could stay at a second home or caravan, hotel, or any other accommodation.

Thousands of people were forced to leave East Lindsey's sites and go home - and for many with nowhere to go it was a very worrying time.

Coun Steve Walmsley, of Ingoldmells Parish Council, lives on Priory Park and had been liaising with both site owners Blue Anchor Leisure Ltd and East Lindsey District Council over the matter.

He explained confusion occurred because the Government made the lockdown announcement 'without clarifying the guidelines' - and Blue Anchor's 'hands were tied' in that they believed they had to fully close..

"I just want to thank Blue Anchor director Jonathan Moses and the staff at Seaways for everything they have done to help residents through this," he said.

"They have been brilliant - even offering to keep the power on for us if we had to leave food in the freezers.

"People have been incredibly worried and I know the staff have had some abusive calls, which cannot have made their jobs easy.

"But their hands have been tied until the guidelines were clarified - and that was not until 48 hours after the announcement."

Blue Anchor originally announced the closure of the site, which normally stays open until January, after the government lockdown statement.

In a post on social media on Sunday, Blue Anchor offered caravanners support and assistance with drain down should they require it and stated: "Following on from the Government’s announcement, it is with a heavy heart that we have to announce that our parks which were due to remain open throughout November, will now close at 4pm on Wednesday, November 4, in line with the latest Government regulations. We kindly ask that you vacate the parks by this time.

"Our parks with an extended season will also close at 4pm on Wednesday, November 4 and will re-open on December 2, subject to government approval.

"We will again increase our security presence with park patrols operating 24 hours a day to ensure your holiday homes remain safe."

Several caravanners without a second home who pay council tax to East Lindsey District Council and an extra £200 to parks stay onsite until January told the Standard they were especially angry and upset because they had been allowed to remain on site during the last lockdown in March..

They said being notified just three days before the deadline was not enough time to find somewhere to go - and anxious residents were still contacting the Standard just minutes before the deadline at 4pm.

Among the caravanners who contacted us was one lady recovering from cancer.

She was one of the first to hear the good news she could stay after what had been 'a particularly anxious time for her'. "I have now been contacted by Blue Anchor and told I can stay," she said.

"But it has been a very worrying time because I had nowhere to go.

"I'm feeling a little better now but the other caravanners are still waiting,"

Sarah Clark told us her partner has been a resident on Priory for 10 years. She said "I think it is disgusting that they are being treated like this.

"Nothing has ever happened like this before - my partner pays council tax plus an extra £200 to stay on site for the extra time.

"They are all beside themselves with worry."

A relieved Coun Walmsley said on Wednesday evening that it had been an exhausting few days but they were delighted with the outcome. "There is a beautiful sunset over Priory Park tonight - and residents can go to sleep in their own beds knowing they can stay," he said.

"We can't thank Blue Anchor enough for their help."

East Lindsey District Council commented: "We have been, and remain, in contact with the owners of Priory Park and occupants affected by the new national restrictions.

"Whilst many occupants have been able to return to their primary residence, we are aware this is not the case for everyone.

"We are currently working with the site owners to assist them in identifying those occupants who do not have alternative accommodation and agreeing with the owners, on a case by case basis, occupants who will need to remain on site during this lockdown period.”

A spokesman for Blue Anchor Leisure Ltd said the decision regarding the residents at Priory Park did not impact the closure of the company's other holiday parks.

The company told the Standard: "Due to the governments decision to enforce a second nationwide lockdown, this once again has meant that the hospitality industry has been forced to close.

"As part of the hospitality sector, through decisions beyond our control all our holiday parks have now closed.

"We understand that this was an emotional and stressful time for all those affected however, as a company we had to follow the rules and procedures that were enforced upon us by the government within a short space of time.

"This was also challenging for all of our team members.

"We would like to reiterate that this decision has been taken by the government and the local authorities here in Lincolnshire.

"Blue Anchor Leisure representatives will continue to work closely with the local authorities and government bodies to ensure that any processes are fully followed, allowing us to continue to remain compliant with government law."

*The closure of caravan parks comes as hospitals in Lincolnshire report they are treating record numbers of Covid-19 cases.

At the beginning of this week, Lincolnshire reported 326 new cases in 24 hours - almost the highest figure since the crisis began.

In East Lindsey there were 100 new daily cases, putting it on the verge of being the part of Lincolnshire with the most recorded cases since the start of the pandemic.

It was only about a month ago that East Lindsey had one of the lowest totals in the county - almost half of the number in South Holland.

However, in the past month there have been more than 1,150 cases there.

Currently if the lockdown is lifted on December 2 as planned, caravan parks could re-open for Christmas, as many sites applied to East Lindsey District Council for an extension of the season to January 4.