9 hours ago
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North Yorkshire Council
Dozens of motorhomes and campervans often lined Royal Albert Drive in Scarborough before the temporary ban was introduced
A permanent ban on campervans and motorhomes parking overnight at tourist hotspots on the North Yorkshire coast has been introduced, after councillors approved the order. But, after being imposed due to complaints about a lack of parking space, safety issues and an increase in mess, the restrictions have divided van owners and locals.
On a drizzly march afternoon, as a stiff breeze blows in off the North Sea, a handful of vans are parked along Scarborough's Royal Albert Drive.
Sitting outside his motorhome with his dog and a cup of tea, Richard Lancaster, 58, said he believes van owners are taking the rap for the behaviour of everyone.
"Tourists are coming in their cars, they're racking barbecues up, they're tenting in the castle grounds, they're leaving litter all over.
"It's a stunning area [but] people are just abusing it and we're getting blamed for it on an everyday basis."
BBC/Seb Cheer
Richard said he felt van owners were being blamed for the poor behaviour of others
Following a number of complaints, North Yorkshire Council first implemented a ban on motorhomes and campervans parking overnight in November 2024.
The ban applies to North Bay in Scarborough and the A174 to the south of Sandsend village, between 23:00 and 07:00. A similar trial in Cayton Bay was abandoned after signs were vandalised.
While the ban has resolved the problem in the restricted areas, concerns have been raised by some that it has simply shunted the issue elsewhere.
Richard, who is based in Scarborough but travels round the UK in his van for work, said it was "very very tough" to own a motorhome in the UK, compared to other countries, because of the facilities available.
He said he was happy to drive out of town to sleep but was aware others were less considerate, including reports of people hanging laundry on residential streets and parking across driveways.
"It's unacceptable but what other choice have they got? If there were areas to pay, we don't mind. What we do mind is paying £40 or £50 a night for a site," he added.
Scarborough resident Julie-Anne Smith said she was among those to have suffered as a result of the ban.
The 64-year-old, who lives in the Esplanade area on Scarborough's South Cliff, said she pays £40 a year for a parking permit, but during the summer struggles to find a space near her house.
"Whilst tourism is to be encouraged, it isn't really that favourable when it's right on your doorstep, blocking the views that we've paid for to live in our homes and also taking our parking spaces, which we have to pay for the privilege of."
She said the issue started after the pandemic - with figures showing new motorhome registrations in 2024 and 2025 peaked at over 16,000 - and had grown "massively" after the ban.
BBC/Seb Cheer
Julie-Anne said campers often "guerrilla park" outside her house
A campervan owner herself, Julie-Anne said she had just returned from a trip away to the Yorkshire Dales, where she spent £15 a night to park on a designated site.
"If you invest in a motorhome or a camper, you should be prepared to do that and not just guerrilla park anywhere and everywhere," she added.
One of the issues that led to the ban was the impact on parking space, with motorhomes and campervans often seen parked across more than one bay, and the knock on impact on tourism.
Fraser Armitage, who grew up in Scarborough and spends six months of the year living in the town, said during the summer "you couldn't even get a parking space" and also complained about the mess.
BBC/Seb Cheer
Fraser said motorhomes look "scruffy" parked along the coast
"The litter was unbelievable," he said.
"I'm not saying all motorhome people are bad, but the chairs, discarded barbecues, cans of beer - it just looks scruffy.
"I'm not against motorhomes and they can park during the day but overnight, music blaring, sitting out, it just spoils the look and feel of the place."
However, Ted Buchan, 68, said he didn't know what the fuss was all about.
"I can't see what difference it makes whether they park here overnight or not," he said, highlighting the fact the restrictions only applied at a time when he would not be there.
"They're not interfering with us", his wife Viv, 72, added.
BBC/Seb Cheer
Holidaymaker Paul owns a campervan and thinks the North Bay could be used during the winter
Holidaymaker Paul Thompson, who owns a campervan, called for a "balancing act between the busy summer period and the off-season".
The 60-year-old said: "It's ideal to have a location near the sea but that's prime area so you can't expect it to be on your doorstep for free.
"There needs to be somewhere you can park a motorhome that's not extortionate, or else people will find anywhere and they'll park on the streets, which the locals don't want."
BBC/Seb Cheer
In 2019 a UK-wide campaign was started to increase the provision of low-cost campervan parking spots, known as aires.
Steve Hadaway, from The Campaign for Real Aires (CAMpRA), said the facilities - designed for self-contained motorhomes to stay for one or two nights as they travel around the country - were more important the ever following the post-Covid rise in staycations and changes to overseas travel regulations in the wake of Brexit.
He said other UK councils had seen success by introducing aires, including a trial at South Hams in Devon which saw five sites being made permanent.
In Fleetwood, Lancashire, dedicated motorhome parking bays with a charge of £5 per night had earned the local council £54,000 in 2025, with an estimated £260,000 spent in local businesses, according to a CAMpRA report.
He said well-located aires also helped to encourage visitors to spend more time and money in towns and cities.
"Putting in bans and height barriers would have cost the council revenue, cost them enforcement, and lost all the businesses the money so it's a no-brainer as far as we understand," Steve said.
Despite councillors approving the ban, not all are in agreement.
Rich Maw, an independent member of North Yorkshire Council and Scarborough Town Council, said he believed it had been "done too hastily", calling it "a sledgehammer to crack a nut".
He said alternatives had not been fully explored and suggested more bans would be needed to tackle the issue of displaced vans parking in residential streets.
"Ultimately, I think the readings are that Scarborough on the whole will have a town-wide campervan ban. I think that's what is the writing on the wall here," he said.
"For me, that is sending out entirely the wrong message."
He added that "reputational damage" to the town would "do more damage than it would have been to paint out new bays on Royal Albert Drive".
Malcolm Taylor, North Yorkshire Council's executive member for highways and transport, said the policy was "about trying to find a balance for everybody".
"We've certainly seen a significant increase in the last couple of years when we've had to take some steps to try and manage it."
He encouraged tourists to continue to visit Scarborough but to stay at local campsites
"The council have sites, there's lots of enterprises and people who invest in sites, provide facilities," he added.
"It is important they employ people in the local economy as well."
The council would try to resolve issues with displaced vehicles, he said, adding: "Scarborough's open to business and we want people to come."
