Its no wonder motorhomes are struggling to park in the UK (1 Viewer)

[Paulypaul]

Not that Cleethorpes is on my own personal "Go to" list, but it's the senseless minority who spoil everything for the responsible majority.

Motorhome toilets 'emptied into stream leading to Cleethorpes beach'

Concerns about water quality

thelincolnite.co.uk

 

[MisterB]

Not sure I agree. It's too easy to blame motorhomes perhaps some actual evidence would support their 'theory'!

Why don't they spend the money on CCTV instead. It would make the area safer and perhaps help in identifying IF there was actually anyone responsible?

The article also states it will be allowing stays of up to 48 hours, so it's not exactly negative despite the headline!

 

[Lenny HB]

Sound like a load of BS to me, to give high level of bacteria in the sea it would need thousands of Motorhomes emptying their cassettes every day.

 

[Bramidan]

How about tackling your local water authority who are probably pumping untreated sewage into the sea.

 

[Googlebot]

How about tackling your local water authority who are probably pumping untreated sewage into the sea.

I was going to say this.

If you need to find culprits who dump sewage, we each pay them a handsome sum every month.

To laden the companies with debt and continue to pay dividends when the performance is poor at best, it is and rightly should be a national disgrace.

Anyone who follows the issue (I do as I paddleboard) will realise you can’t just go and do it anymore as the levels of sewage are ridiculous and you have to actively check or risk swimming in poop. I am not joking when I say that.

To say they detected it after a Motorhome has emptied a cassette is hilarious given the background levels.

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[TinaLes]

This same problem was covered by another regular user funster up in Cleethorpes, bloomin shame that the few spoil it for the rest. There was even an RV parked up in a dubious manner almost making it obvious he/she was there for a long stay, I think it even had what looked like a Trike motorbike with cover on it parked along side.
Now not only do we lose out on this great looking park up, but we will be expected to pay £12 per night, with a max 48 hour stay, which should have been respected without the need to enforce IMHO.
LES

 

[Steve and Denise]

we each pay them a handsome sum every month.
Not all

 

[Googlebot]

we each pay them a handsome sum every month.
Not all

Unless you live abroad?

Someone pays for it.

 

[Carpmart]

Let’s assume the speculation is accurately portrayed in the article, there are prats who would do this, then why don’t they invest a little money in providing emptying facilities. Probably as it would mean they have no one to blame next year they can’t get a blue flag for their beach.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

How about tackling your local water authority who are probably pumping untreated sewage into the sea.

Did the groundwork’s and drainage to the new sewage works at Ford and Worthing 20+ years ago, when we worked on the satellite sites that pumped the sewage to the new treatment works virtual every week if they had heavy rain the valves would open up and raw sewage would be let out into Bognor beach

20+ years later and nothing has changed

As with all companies it’s all about the profit and dividends

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[GJH]

Not sure I agree. It's too easy to blame motorhomes perhaps some actual evidence would support their 'theory'!

Where does it say it is a theory? An FoI request to the council should provide the evidence you seek.

 

[GJH]

How about tackling your local water authority who are probably pumping untreated sewage into the sea.

There is no excuse for the water companies doing that - but neither does it excuse people dumping the contents of toilet cassettes (something which has been reported by several Fun members living in the area several times over the years).

 

[The Wino]

There is no excuse for the water companies doing that - but neither does it excuse people dumping the contents of toilet cassettes (something which has been reported by several Fun members living in the area several times over the years).

Totally agree I'm a bit taken aback that anyone could think otherwise. If I lived there I'd be embarrassed to own up to owning a motorhome if it's true. As for providing a dumping point good idea who pays? It wouldn't be cheap to put in or to keep clean. CCTV would be a lot cheaper and I don't see a 48 hr max stay unreasonable. Maybe they should ask a nearby site if they would allow emptying casettes for a charge and put up a map and details or add one on to a nearby public toilet with a charge to use it.

 

[MisterB]

Where does it say it is a theory? An FoI request to the council should provide the evidence you seek.

Chemical toilets are being emptied into a stream which leads to Cleethorpes beach, the council believes.


The nearby Buck Beck, where it’s believed people are emptying chemical toilets, leads to the part-designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Cleethorpes Beach.
The bathing water quality of Cleethorpes Beach was downgraded last year from ‘excellent’ to ‘good’, leading to the council deciding not to renew its prestigious Blue Flag status.

So the council 'believes' it's the cause but offers no evidence and as the beach was only downgraded last year, that suggests that any historical reports made by members were not the cause of the downgrade as it only happened last year

So without any evidence being presented it seemed appropriate to call it a theory ..... of course if you disagree with my terminology you are of course welcome to disprove it by making the FOI request that I won't be making and should that evidence show that what the council state as their belief is actual fact, that WC waste has been emptied by motorhomers and is the sole cause of the downgrade then I will be happy to donate a whole WC cassette of waste to any charity of your choice

 

[angusboy]

Where I live in Somerset its no fit for swimming,and there's no cassette dumping ?

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[The Wino]

Where I live in Somerset its no fit for swimming,and there's no cassette dumping ?

Maybe we're a minority being blamed for wider failing in long term planning and investment in infrastructure it happens in other areas!!!

 

[TDub49]

Golly, no defensive reactions here then.

For the doubters, the bit in the article that says "The council's ecology department has found evidence of caravan chemical toilets being emptied into Buck Beck, which flows down to Cleethorpes Beach" suggests that there is evidence to support the council's action.

It's sad that there are people who are quite happy to just dump their sh*t anywhere, especially when so many go to great lengths to find legitimate dumping points, but given the sheer number of motorhomes on the road, not surprising.

It's also not surprising that cash strapped councils, struggling to fund their statutory duties will go for the simplest (cheapest) solutions to deal with the problem. Time to get over the faux outrage and lobby your local council to provide facilities or your MP to make it a statutory duty for local councils to provide them and provide the funds for doing so.

 

[GJH]

Chemical toilets are being emptied into a stream which leads to Cleethorpes beach, the council believes.


The nearby Buck Beck, where it’s believed people are emptying chemical toilets, leads to the part-designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Cleethorpes Beach.
The bathing water quality of Cleethorpes Beach was downgraded last year from ‘excellent’ to ‘good’, leading to the council deciding not to renew its prestigious Blue Flag status.

So the council 'believes' it's the cause but offers no evidence and as the beach was only downgraded last year, that suggests that any historical reports made by members were not the cause of the downgrade as it only happened last year

So without any evidence being presented it seemed appropriate to call it a theory ..... of course if you disagree with my terminology you are of course welcome to disprove it by making the FOI request that I won't be making and should that evidence show that what the council state as their belief is actual fact, that WC waste has been emptied by motorhomers and is the sole cause of the downgrade then I will be happy to donate a whole WC cassette of waste to any charity of your choice

Is it really the case that the council offers no evidence or simply that the news report didn't include the evidence?
I didn't actually think you would be bothered enough to send in a FoI request as that always seems to be a step too far in such matters.

 

[GJH]

Is it really the case that the council offers no evidence or simply that the news report didn't include the evidence?
I didn't actually think you would be bothered enough to send in a FoI request as that always seems to be a step too far in such matters.

The council report states "The councils Ecology department have raised concerns about the unauthorised stays at Marine Walk car park. There was evidence that chemical toilets had been emptied into Buck beck which leads out on to the nationally and internationally designated sites of the beach but also affected the bathing water quality, giving anomalously high readings of bacteria."

Not "the council believes" but "There was evidence".
That evidence should be available to anyone through an FoI request if they are interested in researching the full facts.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Golly, no defensive reactions here then.

For the doubters, the bit in the article that says "The council's ecology department has found evidence of caravan chemical toilets being emptied into Buck Beck, which flows down to Cleethorpes Beach" suggests that there is evidence to support the council's action.

It's sad that there are people who are quite happy to just dump their sh*t anywhere, especially when so many go to great lengths to find legitimate dumping points, but given the sheer number of motorhomes on the road, not surprising.

It's also not surprising that cash strapped councils, struggling to fund their statutory duties will go for the simplest (cheapest) solutions to deal with the problem. Time to get over the faux outrage and lobby your local council to provide facilities or your MP to make it a statutory duty for local councils to provide them and provide the funds for doing so.

There are quite a few people who “inhabit” that car park, including an RV who are very clearly not simply stopping overnight (see the same ones over and again). The local campsite is only open part of the year and it won’t stop people emptying into Buck Beck (don’t confuse Buck Beck outlet water quality with Cleethorpes and Humberstone Fitties beaches) anyway, plus it is a massive expense to put in proper waste facilities into an area that is in fact fairly remote from mains drainage for what is a very small car park. Allowing stays on the car park by the miniature railway is a step in the right direction but a trek to facilities. I fully support the height barrier but not the introduction of charges for the car park as it is a frequent rendezvous for walking groups etc. As originally said…. A few ruin it for others.

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[DuxDeluxe]

It is basically a re-run of Huttoft terraces a bit further down the coast. Possibly the same people, but at least you can now park a car there

 

[GJH]

it is a massive expense to put in proper waste facilities into an area that is in fact fairly remote from mains drainage for what is a very small car park.

That would probably also be the case with installing CCTV as well.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

That would probably also be the case with installing CCTV as well.

We, as a parish, make use of battery powered CCTV which is portable and movement triggered but not suitable for this

 

[GJH]

We, as a parish, make use of battery powered CCTV which is portable and movement triggered but not suitable for this

Part of my home set up uses such a camera but, as you say, not suitable everywhere.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Part of my home set up uses such a camera but, as you say, not suitable everywhere.

We have similar at home. The Parish ones have, in the last year, caught a person dumping bulk cat litter and several cases of petty vandalism on the kids playing field. Positive police response

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[Coolcats]

There is an easy way to determine if it’s MoHo owners dumping at cleethorps. test above the site, at the site and below the site. If it is high at the site don’t just presume it’s the MoHo community double check to see if there is a sewerage pipe or possibly an outflow from a farm……

 

[GJH]

There is an easy way to determine if it’s MoHo owners dumping at cleethorps. test above the site, at the site and below the site. If it is high at the site don’t just presume it’s the MoHo community double check to see if there is a sewerage pipe or possibly an outflow from a farm……

One has to presume, in the absence of anyone willing to send in a FoI request, that that was what the councils Ecology department has done

 

[Gromett]

I am not familiar with the area. But is it possible that someone is lifting a manhole cover and emptying the contents of their cassette in thinking it is a sewerage manhole when it is in fact a storm drain manhole?

Not much of an excuse but it may not be deliberate on the part of the person doing it.

I do know this though. I started fulltiming before the whole vanlife/youtube thing kicked off. They have made it much harder. We used to fly under the radar, keep things quiet and avoid attracting attention. In contrast to fulltimers, van lifers appear to want to hang around in groups, attract as much attention as possible and park in totally unsuitable places. Back when I started I would have recommended the lifestyle to anyone who wanted to keep under the radar. Today I wouldn't recommend anyone do it unless they were doing CL hopping etc. But with electric shooting up even that is not feasible these days. Times are a changing.

 

[Paulypaul]

The reason I initially posted this was not to support the council and their claims, it was primarily to highlight that it only takes one person to act irresponsibly, which in turn gives rise to uncorroborated allegations of all motorhomes dumping their waste....which it has.
It also acts as a smoke screen for council and water company failings.

 

[Trev45]

I think the problem is Van life is seen as a cheap way to live . They pay no Council Tax or Water rates so are contributing nothing to pay for their waste disposal including body waste..

Interestingly Page 76 of the June 2023 edition of Practical Motorhome [ yes it's out already] gives details of a company exhibiting at the NEC recently . This company have developed a special seat to fit an existing cassette toilet that separates liquid and solid waste. The liquid waste container holds 7.5 litres which can be poured down a conventional toilet [ more likely poured down a drain ] . The solid waste goes into a recyclable plastic bag which hold 9 litres and can allegedly be disposed of in any bin !!!

I know we have one member of this forum that shits in a plastic bag and disposes of it with his dogs poo but imagine if that became the norm for Van lifers . So coming to a waste bin near you in time for summer could be bags with 9 litres of poo in them . This wonderful system initially costs from £995 and apparently works on most Thetford circular styles of toilet . At least that price tag should put off most Van lifers but DIY versions are probably already in use.

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