News / Van Dwellers
Claims ‘van-lords’ are renting out caravans on the Downs
A silver Range Rover has been spotted dropping off caravans on the Downs in the middle of the night.
Several of the caravans which are parked around the Downs appear to be rented out to the tenants living there, with a few landlords potentially “making an enormous amount of money”.
Some caravans have been towed away by Bristol City Council, but locals say these are quickly replaced by the same vehicle each time.
The council has been sent pictures of the vehicle, including from doorbell cameras, but is powerless to take action due to a legal loophole.
Letting out a caravan isn’t illegal, and there is no national register of ownership so finding the identity of the landlords is almost impossible.
Questions about so-called “van-lords” renting out caravans were put to the public health and communities policy committee on Friday.
Some vehicles parked on the Downs are in a very sorry state
Ian Woodward, a local resident, said: “There are slum van-lords running businesses on the Downs.
“Every time you move a caravan away, the same vehicle pulls another caravan straight in to replace the one that you’ve taken away. You’re not doing anything on slum van-lords running businesses.”
Complicating the issue is that the Range Rover appears to be a rental vehicle, so finding out the identity of the driver, or drivers, is also difficult.
Putting a parking ticket on the caravans is one option, but if these aren’t paid then the council has nobody to take enforcement action against, as the owner of the caravans isn’t known.
Liberal Democrat councillor for Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze, Stephen Williams, chair of the public health committee, said: “Contrary to what people might think, enforcement action does take place almost every week in different parts of the city, where particular caravan dwellers have caused a problem.
“They’re given notice to move on and caravans are towed away quite readily.
“A whole encampment was cleared from where the Frome is culverted around the back of Ikea.
“About 35 caravans were given notice to quit the highway in that area a couple of months ago.
“Around 25 caravans have been towed away from around the Downs over the past 18 months, and seven in the last week.
“There are probably a small number of people who are making an enormous amount of money out of this misery, letting caravans which – if the law was the way I would like it to be – should be unfit for human habitation.
“But the law doesn’t cover that.”
In May, Williams wrote to Darren Jones, the Labour MP for Bristol North West and the chief secretary to the prime minister, urging the government to change the law and fix a legal loophole.
Introducing a national register of caravan ownership would help the council clamp down on the problem on the Downs, creating the ability to identify who actually owns the caravans there.
There are currently dozens of vans and caravans parked on the Downs
Williams added: “We have no idea who owns a caravan when it’s detached from a vehicle. So enforceability against the person who is ultimately responsible, the van-lord, is legally impossible for us.
Reports of that particular vehicle towing caravans to outside people’s houses, often in the dead of night, have been referred to the police and are being investigated.”
Recently the council classed a group of vehicle dwellers on the Downs as “high impact”, after finding evidence of several sites being used as toilets, filled with human waste.
Soon, staff will engage with people living in vans and conduct welfare assessments. People will be given advice and signposted to support services.
A council spokesperson said: “We will direct vehicle dwellers to leave the area and give them time to do this.
“If they do not go, then we will apply to the court for an order requiring the vehicles and their occupants to leave.”
All photos: Betty Woolerton
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