Caravan owners felt 'bullied' by holiday parks

When Asha and Jason Ross bought a caravan sited in a North Yorkshire holiday park, they thought they had made an investment which would provide them with a steady income.

However, within a few weeks, they found themselves selling the caravan back to the holiday park company which sold it to them – at a substantial loss.

And when they sought legal advice to try to recoup their losses, they say that a park employee made veiled threats to them.

The Rosses are among about 800 people who ed BBC News, following our report on a lawsuit brought by caravan owners against allegedly unfair practices by holiday parks.

The claims we heard, included:

• Misleading claims from sales staff about potential income from the caravan
• Site fees which holiday parks increased steeply and allegedly without warning
• Feeling pressured to sell caravans back to parks at a loss, and for significantly less than their market value

Mr and Mrs Ross were looking for an investment opportunity, and thought they'd found the perfect solution when they came across Malton Grange Country Park, a static caravan site in North Yorkshire.

They bought a lodge – a deluxe static caravan - for £125,000 from the site owner, Prestige Country Parks. They say they were told that it had come up for sale because the previous owner had died.

The Rosses say the company's sales manager, Patrick O'Donovan, assured them they could make a good income from renting out the lodge.

They also saw social media posts from Prestige, claiming investors could make £1,000 per week this way, and that the lodge would appreciate in value, like a house.

Yet the advice given by industry bodies such as the National Caravan Council (NCC), is that buyers should treat a caravan as a "depreciating asset" which will fall in value over time.

After six weeks, the Rosses had only received two bookings, totalling £180.

They decided to abandon their plan, and asked the park to buy the lodge back. Mr Ross says that the park owner eventually agreed a price below what the Rosses had originally paid.

The couple say their financial loss was "huge", but they are too embarrassed to it how much it was.

"You feel, you feel ashamed, you feel stupid," says Mrs Ross.

When the couple decided to seek legal advice about recouping their losses, Mr Ross received – and recorded - a call from Mr O'Donovan, who was abusive and swore at them.

He issued what the couple interpreted as a veiled threat: "We know where you are, don't we"An aerial view of Allerthorpe holiday park featuring multiple cabins arranged in neat rows. Each unit is surrounded by lush green lawns, with a mix of evergreen and deciduous trees scattered throughout the area. Paved pathways connect the houses, and some units have vehicles parked beside them. The grass appears freshly trimmed. " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/>