Acting owners of holiday park in Northampton issue message to residents still not allowed back on site

The acting owners of a controversial holiday park in Northampton have issued a message to residents who are still not allowed back on site after heavy flooding in the New Year.

Hundreds of residents were forced to flee the site in the first week of the New Year following heavy flooding.

The site’s administrators, Grant Thornton LLP, recently said that by mid-February they hope to have power restored to over 85 per cent of the pitches on site. However, that leaves 15 per cent of residents still not allowed back on to the site.

One resident, who belongs in that 15 per cent, told the Chronicle and Echo she and her partner have been ‘sofa surfing’ for over a month now.

She said: “I haven’t been able to return back to my home since January 2.

"I have been calling Billing to ask when I can return, as half of the park have managed to return, and every week they tell me that we can return in two to three weeks.

“Myself and my partner have been sofa surfing since January 2, which is a complete joke. We have been told by Billing we can return back to our van if we want however, we have no electricity or gas.

“I think it’s disgusting how they are leaving people without gas and electricity.”

Chronicle and Echo has received numerous letters similar to the one above from residents who have not been able to return home for weeks. We passed these concerns on to Grant Thorntons LLP.

A spokeswoman for Grant Thornton UK LLP said: “The majority of license holders have been able to return to the site. However, a small number are still unable to return due to the material works required, and we need to ensure that it is safe before permitting them to do so.

“Further communication is being prepared for all license holders to provide an estimated date of when the works will be completed. We request that licence holders continue to monitor their emails and social media for announcements and thank them for their co-operation and understanding during this time.”