Van dwellers told to leave beach car park

Dozens of people living in vans at a popular beauty spot have been told to leave.

Cornwall Council said eviction notices had been served to the occupants of 31 vans at Towan Head car park, overlooking Fistral Beach in Newquay.

Thomas Dawe, who was among those who left the car park on Friday, said the council had not spoken to van dwellers about their needs. He argued that moving people on without providing alternative options would simply result in the problem being shifted elsewhere.

Newquay Mayor Drew Creek said many residents were sympathetic to those forced to live in vehicles but a busy tourist-season car park was not the right location.

He said the number of people living in vehicles in the town, particularly at Towan Head car park, had increased significantly in recent years.

The mayor added that Newquay's van-dwelling population reflected a wider housing affordability crisis.

"It's not that we don't have enough housing, it's that we don't have housing that people can actually afford here," Creek said.

Dawe said he normally stayed in each place for one or two nights so as not to anger locals.

"It's just this constant cycle of we're being pushed from pillar to post and just upsetting the next person. I normally don't stay anywhere that long," he said.

But he said a short stay was still not popular with residents.

"It's still a problem isn't it, so I'm always going to end up being evicted from somewhere I feel at some point," he added.

Creek said he would like to see the creation of sites where people living in vehicles could access facilities including running water and waste disposal.

Cornwall Council said in a statement: "We have served notice to the occupants of 31 vans at Towan Head car park in Newquay.

"The occupants have until Friday at 16:00 BST to vacate the site."

Most of the van dwellers, who faced enforcement action if they did not comply, left the site by the deadline.

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