Caravan site boss Ivy Buckley caravan site owner has been ordered to pay more than £4,600 in fines and costs for letting out sub-standard accommodation.

Ivy Buckley, of School Road, Tilney St Lawrence, let our leisure caravans as residential accommodation.

But the accommodation did not meet the requirements of her licence at Springfield Caravan Park, Tilney St Lawrence, a court heard.

The prosecution was brought by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk for letting out substandard accommodation to tenants.

Cllr Sam Sandell, cabinet member for people and communities, said: “Everyone deserves to live in accommodation which is safe and warm.

“This accommodation was designed for holiday parks, not year-round residential letting, so it was poorly insulated and poorly heated.

“Council officers undertook a thorough investigation and issued a compliance notice.

“Buckley was given time to comply with this notice, including extra time due to Covid, and when she failed to do so, a prosecution was launched.”

“Where the council finds evidence of tenants living in substandard accommodation it will take action to protect them.”

Cllr Sandell added: “After negotiations to make improvements failed, in November 2019 the borough council served Buckley with a compliance notice.

“This required her to replace unsuitable old static caravans that did not meet the requirements of BS3632 for residential caravans, as required by her site licence.”

Due to Covid the date for compliance was extended 5 June 15, 2021, but a re-inspection in August 2021 found there were still tenants in some of the sub-standard original caravans.

The council launched a prosecution for failure to comply with the conditions of a compliance notice under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 (as amended by the Mobile Homes Act 2013).

At King’s Lynn magistrates court on February 23, Buckley pleaded guilty to this failure to comply.

She was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge and £3,519 in costs.

(The act dates back to 1960 when Parliament first passed laws after a report found legislation at the time was unclear and insufficient relating to people living in caravans.

“Local councils were then given sufficient powers to begin to tackle caravan housing.”