Mobile
homes | There's
no place like home - Teresa in her garden |
This is the story
of people at the bottom of the housing market - people whose lives have been devastated
after a campaign of harassment and intimidation by a new landlord. Teresa
Iveson has lived at the Hardwick Bridge Residential Caravan Site in Kings Lynn
for more than six years. She owns the caravan, valued at 拢45 000
last year, but rents the plot of land it sits on. Teresa spent the first
two years repairing and renovating her home and garden. But in November
2004, the lease for the park was sold. The site was bought by father and
son Colin and James Crickmore and Maurice Sines. They made no secret of
the fact that they wanted to redevelop the site. Since then Teresa Iveson
and the other residents have been 'encouraged' to move out. Intimidation?
Residents say they have been subjected to a campaign of intimidation. In
January 2005 Maurice Sines appeared with a team of men and began ripping up fences
and trees immediately adjacent to homes. The site was left with open sewers,
electric cables and gas bottles littered around. In the summer of 2004,
there were 72 caravans, a year later there were just 22. Residents in mobile
home parks have protection against eviction, just like tenants in a house. Unless
they break site rules or don't pay their ground rent, they can't be evicted. The
Hardwick Bridge site is actually owned by Kings Lynn council and leased to Sines
and the Crickmores. Residents thought this would mean they were protected
by the council. They now believe that they haven't received adequate support
from the council, an accusation the council refutes. New mobile homes have
now been moved onto the site and are on the market for more than 拢100 000.
Maurice Sines and the Crickmores have upped their offer from 拢500
to several thousand pounds to the existing residents to move off the park. Although
Theresa Iveson has still not been offered the full market price she has now decided
to leave. She says she cannot take the stress and fear any more. Colin
Crickmore and Maurice Sines both refused to give an interview to Inside Out. Links
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