The boss of an upmarket caravan park has caused online uproar by describing some of its guests as 'riff raff' who are lowering the tone of the place. Aaron Scantlebury, who manages Sunnyvale Caravan Park in Kinmel Bay, Conwy, has been branded a "modern day Basil Fawlty " as a result of his scathing description of the type of clientele he'd rather not have staying there.
In a social media post, directed against a minority of caravaners who sub-let their accommodation too cheaply to "Addams families," he blasted "an increasing numbers of sublet guests who have never seen hills, beaches, a job, or a bath for that matter, in some time. You will have no doubt seen them pushing a buggy with a two-stone child of 10 sat in it."
He then went on to single out "Nanas in her paper-thin leggings" who are too busy "concentrating on not spilling a drop of Fosters from the can in their hand" to look after "their children who are walking in the road." You can get more local news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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The rant - initially intended for park residents' eyes only but later shared on a national holiday park forum - didn't stop there. Scantlebury continued: "They usually speak in (un)intelligible tongues and very loudly, making sure their parenting skills can be heard with comments like: 'Shut up Chantelle or you won’t get an effing ice cream'."
He also cited "anti-social behaviour" and "domestic disputes" which had ended up being reported to the police. However, some people called his remarks "condescending," "absolutely disgusting" and "extremely unprofessional."
One person said: "Not everyone has the same advantages in their lives - it doesn’t make them any less deserving of respect." Another was similarly unimpressed. "I am a nanna and wear leggings," she posted. "How dare he."
Some were in agreement with Scantlebury though. "Let’s be honest, we’ve all met this type of family, not just at holiday camps either," one wrote. "Imagine if you booked a well-earned break at this park and these people set up camp in the next van. Not sure your description on Tripadvisor would be so different."
Speaking to NorthWalesLive, Scantlebury explained, "We are a quiet park with no nightclubs or arcades and residents want to keep it that way. It’s very rare that we get that type of visitor here. But when they do come they cause minor anti-social behaviour and require intervention by our on-site security. We have a great community here - one that’s also socially aware as residents often join Keep Wales Tidy litter picks. They spend a lot of money locally - in pubs, restaurants and theatres - and contribute enormously to the local economy."
In October, as part of a regular review of park regulations, residents were warned sub-letting licences would be withdrawn in 2023 "unless sub-let rules are followed to the letter."
Scantlebury said of the warning: "It just was a reminder that we need to maintain standards at the park so that all our wonderful families can continue enjoying their time here." Electronic gates have also been installed at the park to stop non-booked visitors joining sub-letting guests.
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