Caravans and motorhomes by canal prompt ‘holiday camp’ fears

The rising number of people sleeping in vans and motorhomes on a street that runs alongside a canal has prompted concerns the suburb could turn into a “holiday camp”.

Canal Side, in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, is a popular spot for people to park their vehicles overnight, which they can do legally.

But people living nearby have said more and more keep coming and it has led to congestion, rubbish and waste from toilets being dumped on the road and in the canal.

A petition has now been launched calling for Nottinghamshire County Council to find a way to prevent the overnight camping.

Resident Geoff Green, 72, said: “I’ve had people emptying their effluent down the grate outside my property.

“It’s totally ruining the area, and it’s getting worse. Now they’re migrating onto other roads.

“How long is it until the whole of the Rylands is like a big holiday camp?”

He added he knew some have no choice but to live in vans, but others had chosen it and they should be put up somewhere they would not cause problems with traffic and waste.

Another resident, who wished only to be known as Tony because of safety concerns, added: “I saw a woman chuck all the stuff from out her toiletries [into the canal].

“I found out she’d been here for three and a half years with kids.

“I think they want to go, there’s no other way.”

Both said the problem began about five years ago and had been getting worse, with about 20 now regularly parking on the road at night.

Residents said some were staying for months at a time.

Mr Green said the spot was advertised on social media and van apps, and he had seen people with French and Polish number plates stopping over.

When visited by the BBC, people in the motorhomes gave a range of reasons for being there and the length of their stays ranged from weeks to days.

One of them, who did not wish to be named, said he had been there for eight weeks while waiting to buy a house in the area.

“I have sympathy with the residents – I wouldn’t like it,” he said.

“But it’s entirely legal. Just because people don’t like it, doesn’t make it wrong.”

Another couple told us they were visiting from their house in Skegness to see relatives and chose the spot for a night because of the views.

Teresa Cullen, a Nottinghamshire county councillor for the Broxtowe Alliance, said she receives weekly messages about the site and recognises the worries of local residents.

But she also said some of those living in the vans and motorhomes have no other choice, because of the cost-of-living and housing crises.

“If you come on a Friday or Saturday evening, it’s campervan city, all the way along,” she said.

“Problems occur when there’s people without the proper facilities.

“There’s nothing illegal in sleeping in a caravan by the side of a canal on a residential street but it isn’t nice to tip your rubbish out on the floor.”

She suggested a solution could be a designated campers’ site in the borough, and parking restrictions overnight.

She added: “I feel like we should have a grown up conversation about it and find out what is going to be the best solution both for the local residents and the people in the vans.”

A spokesperson for Broxtowe Borough Council said they were aware of the caravans but investigations found they were parked legally.

They added they had received no complaints about waste being inappropriately disposed.

Similarly, the Canal and River Trust said it had received no such reports – but also made clear it was not the right authority to deal with it if there were.

A spokesperson from Nottinghamshire County Council said the authority “looks forward to receiving the petition and will carefully consider its contents and the issues it raises”.

They added: “We will consider if the parked vehicles on Canal Side are now having a significant adverse effect upon other users of the highway and the surrounding community and what actions we might take to reduce those impacts such as consulting on introducing parking restrictions.”