Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Andrew Forgrave & Sara Odeen-Isbister

Caravan park boss sparks outrage for 'Basil Fawlty-style' rant calling guests 'riff raff'

The manager of an upmarket caravan park in Wales has been compared to Basil Fawlty after calling some guests "riff raff" in a scathing online rant.

Aaron Scantlebury, who runs Sunnyvale Caravan Park in Kinmel Bay, Conwy, was described as a "modern day Basil Fawlty" following a social media post where he suggested some guests were lowering the tone of the park.

In the post, aimed at a small number of people who apparently sub-let their static caravans 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 wrote.

NorthWalesLive reports that 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."

Aaron Scantlebury, manager of Sunnvale Caravan Park in Wales (WALES NEWS SERVICE)

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."

However some were in agreement with Scantlebury. "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."

Mr Scantlebury said some of the guests were causing anti-social behaviour (Sunnyvale Caravan Park)

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.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.