Residents call for campervan parking restrictions

Residents says campervans parking for days makes it difficult for other visitors

Residents have said campervans parking on a seafront were preventing others being able to enjoy the area.

With easy access to the beach, free tap water and public toilets just metres away, the Undercliff Road East area of Felixstowe has become a popular destination for touring vehicles visiting the Suffolk coast.

Residents have urged Felixstowe Town Council to bring in parking restrictions to combat the issue.

The council is meeting to consider implementing restrictions, including resident parking schemes and time limits.

'Campervans are parked for months'

Mike Shute wants the town council to bring in a ban on overnight parking in the area

Mike Shute lives near the seafront promenade and thinks campervans have created a parking issue that affects day visitors to the town.

He said: "There's been campervans there for months on end but no-one ever goes near them. which is a bit of a shame.

"They take up a parking space which means families who want to come down and enjoy the seafront don't have the opportunity to park there."

He said he would like to see a ban on overnight parking in the area and time limits brought in to allow everyone to enjoy the seafront.

'Garbage all over the prom'

Roger Dunnett said the campervans distracted from others' enjoyment of the area

Roger Dunnett said as a visitor he also struggled to find anywhere to park.

"Last year I counted 28 campervans at one point and one had been here for seven weeks - it hadn't moved and that's not on," he said.

He also said some of the campervan users detracted from other people's enjoyment of the area.

"They sit outside their campervans with all their garbage all over the prom and make it not nice for other people," Mr Dunnett said.

"I'm a caravaner; I wouldn't dream of coming down here in my caravan and putting it on the prom.

"They empty all their washing up waste down the drains - it's just not on."

He believed a restriction on overnight parking would be the best solution.

'We can't get parked'

Marian Moules owns a beach hut and said it was unfair on others who cannot get parked

Marian Moules has owned a beach hut in Felixstowe for more than 30 years and has noticed parking becoming more of an issue.

She said: "We don't really want them [campervans] camping overnight as we can't get parked when we come down.

"But we also don't want yellow lines or parking meters. It's a bit difficult."

She said this year she has noticed up to 15 or 16 campervans parked at weekends.

"They don't spend money - they bring their own food. At one time they were using the Fludyers Hotel toilets," she added.

"They're using the drains but we [beach hut users] have to pay rents and rates for the beach huts."

The BBC spoke to one campervan owner, Barry Angel, who said he came to Felixstowe because it seemed to welcome campervans on the seafront.

"I can't afford a house and don't want to spend money on rent, so campervan it is," he said.

Responding to some of the opposition to the vans, he said, "I don't see what the problem is really.

"I don't see what the difference is really between a car and a camper."

Mr Angel said the local shops and pubs were used by people in the campervans and therefore they were contributing to the local economy.

"I mean, I'm not self-sufficient here, I don't understand that [viewpoint]."

He added, he pays his road tax, but did not want to pay for parking.

"I'll just find somewhere else," he said.

Any restrictions decided by the town council will need to go before Suffolk County Council which is responsible for highways.