11-07-2025
Couple's £36k caravan dream turns into nightmare as they're 'unable to sell'
"Whenever there are heavy rains, our pitch floods, which is often, due to the British weather."
A furious couple have slammed a holiday park firm after claiming that they're "stuck living in a pitch that continues to flood" after purchasing a caravan for £36,600.
Alicia Mearns, 41, and partner John Hayden, 48, say they have been told their caravan at Park Lane Holiday Homes in Meols, Wirral is "basically not worth anything" due to a kitchen John installed, and they are now unable to sell it, reports the ECHO.
But the firm hit back, insisting they 'refute' the couple's claims and say they've had no communication about selling up.
A spokesperson said: "The couple have not engaged in any communications with the company regarding selling the caravan."
Alicia and John were hoping to buy a property in Spain, but instead opted for a base close to their places of work. Alicia, who owns Allure beauty salon in Birkenhead and John, who runs building business J&J Joinery, decided holiday parks seemed to be the best option for a second home.
In early 2023, the pair met a salesman regarding a site at at the park, they had a budget of £25,000. However, they claim they were told there was only one caravan available near their price range at £36,600.
The pair claim they felt pressured as they were told someone else was interested in buying it, and would need to commit right away with a £500 deposit.
Alicia said: "We felt rushed. But the caravan seemed to be what we wanted, so we took the plunge."
John added: "The rest of the money we had to pull together from bank loans and part-exchanging our 2013 touring caravan, pending the sale of our former property."
Alicia said: "We were not given a contract. Not then and not later. All we ever received was a piece of paper in the office to confirm the sale."
The pair paid £4,600 in site feed upront. They also said a further £300 was charged a few weeks later. Alicia said they spend most of the year on the site, but revealed problems arose on October 20, 2023, when floods occurred.
She said: "Whenever there are heavy rains, our pitch floods, which is often, due to the British weather.
"The water depth can be such that we find it extremely difficult to get in and out of the caravan. I am a mum with two kids and the youngest is seven."
John added: "They told us a new water pump was installed to keep water levels down in future. But the flooding is actually worse now. It has flooded badly - a total of seven times since we moved in."
The couple say they asked to move their caravan to a higher pitch but were told it would cost £1,400. They said they arranged for it to be done while they were in Spain trying to facilitate a move abroad.
Alicia said: "(The owner) told us outright that they would not be moving our caravan. He told us that the only way to move to a more flood-proof location was to upgrade to one in a more preferable location."
They were dealt another blow when they say a manager told them the van was now 'basically worthless' due to the £10,000 kitchen John had installed.
Alicia said: "Apparently this had devalued the caravan" and "plus the fact it was 20 years old (we had no idea about its age until this point) rendered it worthless."
She continued: "We are probably biased, but we feel that the caravan looks objectively better after John's lovingly installed kitchen replacement."
John added that they were told the cheapest upgrade would be around £75,000 - which is more than they were willing to pay. The pair then said they attempted to sell the caravan privately.
However, a spokesperson from Park Lane Holiday Homes said: "The couple have not engaged in any communications with the company regarding selling the caravan and therefore their comments are wholly refuted."
In response, Alicia claims she spoke to a manager about wanting to sell the caravan. She said: "Two friends expressed an interest in buying our caravan. He (the salesperson) told us that 'because of the caravan's age', the park would have to put the ground rent up from £4,600 to £10,500 for the new owners. Understandably our friends did not want to go through with the purchase after learning this."
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The couple claim they looked at the possibility of moving the caravan to a different site, but said that because of its age no other site would allow this.
Alicia said: "This information is something they absolutely should have disclosed to us before we paid out £36,600. We never would have paid so much money for a caravan if we had known the limitations caused by its age. Not telling us this was a serious failure on their part in our opinion.
"We are now stuck living on a pitch that continues to flood, resulting in our electricity tripping out as our washing machine and dryer are located outside. The tumble dryer is now ruined due to water damage.
"Currently we are in limbo. The park keeps sending us a new lease to sign, and we daren't sign it because it states a caravan age limit of ten years.
"We have paid two years' site fees for a pitch that is unliveable, not fit for purpose and a danger."
A spokesperson for Park Lane Holiday Homes said: "We can confirm that over the past two years the park has, on occasion, experienced flash floods.
"However, we would like to emphasise that such events are not unique to the park itself. They are consistent with weather patterns affecting the wider local area of the Wirral and are reflective of the environmental conditions experienced across the region, where flooding commonly occurs.
"We wish to reassure all guests that we remain fully committed to ensuring that the holiday park continues to be managed safely and responsibly. All necessary measures have been taken to protect visitors and maintain the high standards our guests expect.
"In respect of the allegations made by the couple regarding their caravan, we must highlight that firstly this is a holiday site, and not a residential site. Further the couple have not engaged in any communications with the company regarding selling the caravan and therefore their comments are wholly refuted.
"The 19-page licence agreement in place with the couple (signed on each page) is for one year, and they are at liberty to move to another holiday site if they so desire."
