The pitch was booked January and a £45 deposit requested (although no conditions were explained) and sent. Two weeks before the holiday Mrs Blackwell ‘phoned and advised that because she had not realised that the stay included a Bank Holiday the balance would be due on arrival. Unfortunately ten days before the holiday a car ran into the back of my car. I ‘phoned the site that day and advised that, although we were hopeful of still arriving, that if they received another booking it should be accepted. It then transpired that the tow bar had been damaged and the repairer advised that towing should not be undertaken. I then considered using another car which had a tow bar but which had not been used for towing for a number of years. That proved to be impossible because the electrics were u/s. I, therefore, telephoned the site four days before the due date and explained the circumstances and advised that we would not be coming. When asked if the deposit would be refunded I received a flat refusal on the grounds that the pitch had not been re let. Whilst I expressed sympathy with the site owner because of no shows, on reflection I believe that her rigid approach to the circumstances is unreasonable and not what I would have expected; it simply penalises those who play by the rules and not those who don't. Possibly also the site owner should consider,when requesting a deposit, stating what the conditions are.