Rufs replied on 19/11/2018 14:23
Posted on 19/11/2018 14:23
i quote from our local Conservative news letter, just received
"Motorhome overnighting along the Meon Shore road has increased significantly during this summer. Action is in hand to make the signage clearer and Hill Head Councillors will discuss with officers the best way to prevent a recurrence next summer"
so far from encouraging MH camping in local car parks as a number of members have been advocating, to fall in line with our collegues in Europe, my local council along with others in this area "Hampshire" are actively discouraging. Nothing against MH owners but I support this action, on the grounds that the area is fast becoming an unofficial MH park, and of course there are always the few that go the extra mile and abuse what are unofficial camping facilities, e.g. emptying toilet cassettes in the public toilets, cramming all their garbage into local waste bins, taking up all the car park bays, and using them as their own personal camping area, sometimes 2 bays. Being a caravaner I have never used an Aires, do the facilities that are provided officially within Europe get abused in the same way?, I know the adage "the few spoil it for the many", but we are being overrun by the many, probably because a lot of our sea front parking is free, something as locals, we cherish and would not want to loose as a result of overnight campers etc. Is there something amiss with us Brits or are our EU counterparts just as bad ?
I should add as a footnote, although our local council are not massively in debt there are certainly no funds in the kitty to provide Aires type facilities, well not in the present climate, and even if they were, I am not sure local people would support such expenditure, ok the local ice cream shops may make a little bit extra, but i think most of the additional spend would go to the out of town super markets and not local shops. I do believe MH's are becoming a problem.
Rufs
Caravanner from Hampshire