Here we round up some of the latest caravan-related news stories from across the UK …
Caravanners urged to check their gas hobs
The government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is urgently investigating a range of gas hobs from various suppliers following an explosion and fire in a caravan earlier this year.
Given the potentially very serious nature of any faulty gas appliance – with the risks highest from LPG gas hobs installed in caravans – the OPSS has issued Suspension Notices that have the effect of temporarily banning the supply of the relevant equipment. The manufacturers, too, have agreed to carry out the necessary modifications to the gas hobs in question. The corrective measures mainly call for the replacement of a defective elbow joint in the supply line to the hobs.
So, check the gas hob in your mobile home or motorhome today. Immediately disconnect the appliance from your LPG cylinders if the hob is from one of the following suppliers:
- Statesman Gas Hobs;
- Russell Hobbs Gas Hobs;
- Kitchenplus Gas Hobs;
- Electriq Gas Hobs;
- Cookology Gas Hobs;
- Cooke and Lewis Gas Hobs;
- Cata/Cuilna Gas Hobs;
- Caple Gas Hobs; or
- Belling/Stoves Gas Hobs.
Coachman 2024 price freeze
Wherever you look, all around you, prices are going up. Against a background of relentless increases in the cost of living – not to mention the pleasures of a holiday now and then – it is especially welcome news that Coachman has put the prices of its sought-after caravans on hold.
In an article describing two new layouts of trailers in the Coachman range, Practical Caravan magazine on the 9th of August revealed that the manufacturer would be freezing its 2024 prices at 2023 rates – “for a limited time” at least.
Renowned for the quality of its craftsmanship and innovation of design, the Coachman range has been tailored back just a shade for the new year – with a slightly more restricted choice of models.
Nevertheless, the current attractive price freeze is also accompanied by a free giveaway on each sale of a caravan motor mover from Powrtouch.
Top 10 best vintage caravan stays in the UK revealed
Retro or vintage caravans have become all the rage of late – especially when they are parked up against some of the most bucolic of rural or wooded settings.
Spotting just how popular these camping treats have become, the Guardian newspaper recently published a top ten of the best vintage caravan sites.
The combination of a wild and woolly backwoods plot, with a retro caravan to sleep in, makes for a list of sites as varied as:
- Towed Town Camping, Bristol;
- Tilly, Cornwall;
- Club Jupiter, Kent;
- Cerys, Gwynedd;
- Van Goff, Powys;
- Fishing Hut, Scottish Borders;
- Tina, Highlands;
- The Bluebird Penthouse, Devon;
- The Scrumpling, Somerset; and
- Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans, Herefordshire.
Lincolnshire Police use drones to tackle caravan crime
Every season seems to bring its spate of caravan crime. It’s sad, annoying, and costly for those affected. But this year sees a new weapon in the arsenal of a police force tasked with catching at least some of the wicked culprits.
The BBC revealed that Lincolnshire Police have this year taken to the skies with remote-controlled drones to catch the thieves in a part of the country where some 40% of all residential burglaries are from caravans and other holiday homes.
The new technology has already met with some degree of success, says a spokesman for the force – 30 of the incidents reported to the police so far this year have resulted in arrests.