My neighbours hate me for parking my caravan and blocking the pavement – but I’ve been doing it for years
A MAN has hit back at his neighbours for whingeing his caravan blocks the pavement outside their homes - saying he's kept it there for years.
Ben Beecroft, 36, has kept a caravan outside his home in Stoke during the winter for the past four years.
But his new model has incurred the wrath of his neighbours, who have reported him to Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
The council has now given the local joiner four weeks to shift his caravan, which has been parked partly on the carriageway and partly on the pavement on the city's East Crescent street.
Ben said: “It’s the neighbours who have reported us to the council.
"I’ve had a caravan parked there for four years but as soon as I had a new one, it’s an issue.
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"They don’t like it because I have nice stuff, that’s how it is.
“The council says it’s an obstruction to the street.
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"But if I’ve got to remove my caravan then they should remove their cars. They’re wide, if not wider.
He added: “Everyone is parked on the street on both sides, all the way down the street.
"I would understand it if it was a proper main road and you couldn’t get past.
"But there’s enough room for everyone to get past.
"The bin men can pass it with no issues, whatsoever.
"On the footpath, my old man’s got a mobility scooter - and he can get past."
Ben claims he has parked his caravan on the street for years without anyone complaining.
He said: “When I first moved in, I was single. I put music on and never got any complaints.
"If you don’t work, you get on fine. But as soon as you work, no-one likes you.
"As soon as I got my caravan it must have made them jealous.
“It’s beyond a joke. It’s hard-working people surrounded by people who don't want to work. I won’t be moving it.”
Regulations are currently unclear about whether caravans can be parked legally on residential streets.
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A council spokesman said: "The officer was able to establish the owner of the vehicle and explained that parking was not permitted as it constituted an unauthorised structure on the highway.
"We are currently in the process of ensuring that the structure is legally parked and the regulations are adhered to before we take any further action and will be in touch with the resident shortly."
