RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans has called for an emergency meeting with caravan site owners who are threatening to evict their residents.

Mr Evans made the call after discovering that residents at Beacon Fell View caravan park in Longridge have been told they face losing their mobile homes if they fail to upgrade their properties.

The MP has requested that legal action against the owners, Haven, be halted and the threat of eviction lifted until he can meet with the management and the residents to discuss the matter.

But he has vowed to air the matter in the House of Commons if no solution is found.

Mr Evans said: "I am really annoyed at the high-handed manner in which these people have just been told by Haven to vacate the area.

"Some residents have been at the site for a long time. They are customers and, speaking as somebody who has been in business all his life, I value my customers."

He added: "I will raise the matter in the House of Commons if Haven start evicting people. It is really wrong. I want to fight for the right of people who come to enjoy the Ribble Valley."

Haven has told some caravan owners that they need to upgrade their properties or leave the site.

The company claims the move is in line with a voluntary code of practice which sets out a minimum period of tenure of 10 years from the date a caravan is first purchased as new. Since the bombshell the caravan owners have set up a special committee and taken steps to fight the move but have met with opposition from Haven.

The caravan owners have donated a total of £1,200 to pay legal fees and may appoint a specialist solicitor from Liverpool to deal with the case.

They are also taking shifts to picket at the site every Saturday and Sunday to highlight their plight and turn customers away.

They still meet to discuss the matter in the family clubroom on site but the management refused to let them use the microphone equipment and booked a cabaret act at the same time as one of their meetings.

A Fair Trading officer is also investigating the matter.

A spokeswoman for Haven said: "Mr Evans has written to the Director of Operations at Haven and he is in the process of responding to him."

She added: "The family clubroom is an entertainment centre where cabaret and other forms of entertainment are regularly laid on for the enjoyment of these owners and holidaymakers alike.

"The equipment in this room is intended to be used by members of the entertainments team only, not by guests. Group meetings are not encouraged as they disrupt the relaxation and pleasure of the other holiday makers."

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