Homes of residents caught in dispute catch fire on same day

Alison Porter-Garroch (L) went to help put out the fire at Mike Chesworth's home (R) - only for her own to then catch fire

Two residents who had been involved in a long-running dispute with a holiday park company saw their homes destroyed by fire on the same day.

Their mobile homes, situated on opposite sides of Wyre Country Park in Lancashire, went up in flames within 90 minutes of each other in August.

Both residents had appeared in a BBC Panorama programme last year that alleged some mobile home owners had been cheated out of their life savings.

Exclusive Resorts Ltd, which owns the site, said in a statement that Panorama was presenting a narrative that appeared to insinuate, without foundation or evidence, that the company may have been involved in an arson attack. "This suggestion is wholly untrue," it said.

According to the company, a concern was raised with the police that one fire might be connected with an insurance claim.

Lancashire Police said the fires had been investigated as potential arson, but no definite cause had been identified.

"We investigated as far as possible but all enquiries have been exhausted at this time," the statement said. "The victims are aware this will now be filed as closed until such time as any further evidence becomes available to identify a suspect."

Mike Chesworth was the first resident to lose his mobile home. He and his wife had left the park and were travelling to see a relative on 5 August when he got a call to say his home was on fire.

"I turned around as quick as I could and drove back to the park," he told the BBC. "When I got there, my lodge was absolutely ablaze and lots of fire engines were turning up."

The second resident affected by the fires lived on the other side of Wyre Country Park.

Alison Porter-Garroch said she was at home when she saw the smoke coming from Mike Chesworth's unit and went to help people who were trying to put out the fire.

She then went to visit another resident on the park, who spotted that Alison's home was also ablaze.

"I remember running over to my lodge, opening the front door because I had my mum and dad's ashes in there. It was just black smoke, and I couldn't see anything. I got the ashes out but I could just see my home going. It was just horrendous."

Both homes were left uninhabitable by the fires.

Wyre Country Park only has a holiday park licence, which means caravan owners are not supposed to live there full time.

But last year, half a dozen residents told Panorama the site owner had told them they could live on the park full time when they bought their caravans.

They said they had been sold the properties under false pretences and cheated out of their life savings by David Welch - the director of Exclusive Resorts Ltd.

No definitive cause for the fires has so far been established

The programme then sent in an undercover reporter, posing as a potential customer who wanted to buy a home on the park.

Both the sales manager and Mr Welch told the undercover reporter she could live on the site all year round.

Mr Welch later told Panorama that the sales agreements and signs at the park made it clear the caravans were for holiday-use only.

Following the programme, relations between Mr Welch and some residents, including Mr Chesworth and Ms Porter-Garroch, deteriorated further in a dispute over electricity payments.

This July, the company commenced eviction proceedings against Mr Chesworth and his wife.

The Chesworths owned their mobile home and had signed a lease allowing them to live on the land at Wyre Country Park.

The eviction notice terminated that lease and required them to leave by 4 August, the day before the fires. The Chesworths had refused to leave.

Exclusive Resorts said Mr Chesworth and his wife had been required to vacate their home because of "serious and persistent" breaches of their licence, including harassment.

The company said it has "co-operated fully and transparently with all lawful investigations". It also said that the matters are now under the control of the relevant authorities and it would be inappropriate and irresponsible to infer baseless wrongdoing against the company.