A man has shared his story with BBC Panorama about how he spent £180,000 on a holiday park home only to discover he can't live there full-time.
Mike Chesworth, a 59 year old delivery driver, bought a caravan at Wyre Country Park near Blackpool, Lancashire, planning to retire there with his wife. But now, he says he's stuck with a house he can't live in all the time, after he was reportedly told by site owner David Welch that they could be there forever.
Sites which only have a holiday park licence usually have rules on how long and when during the year you can stay there.
The Blackpool site only has a holiday licence, so Mike and his wife could be asked to leave by their local council for breaking planning rules. According to BBC Panorama, the contract they signed in 2019 states the caravan is only for holiday use.
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The programme also spoke to five other people living at Wyre Country Park who say they were wrongly told they could live there permanently. The BBC suggests people are "being tricked" into buying these homes, reports the Mirror.
Mr Chesworth is reportedly pouring all his energies, six days a week, into saving for a legal battle against Wyre Country Park. He shared with the BBC: "You spent a lot of time and effort looking to retire, and you work 30 or 40 years of your life to do it, only to find the dream you thought you were going to have is the perpetual nightmare that you can't seem to end. And it's just, it's heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking."
David Welch, the owner of Wyre Country Park, has refuted claims of misleading buyers when questioned by Panorama. He maintained that both park signage and sales contracts clearly identify the place as a holiday park.
The Mirror has also attempted to seek comment from Wyre Country Park.
The British Holiday and Home Parks Association commented: "Many thousands of people buy a holiday caravan or residential park home each year - the vast majority of whom have a positive experience, and go on to enjoy all the holiday and lifestyle benefits that come with ownership."
