Outrage in UK Caravan City: Residents' Gardens Overrun by Squalid 'Wild West' Lock-Ups for Van Dwellers

IT was recently was voted one of the ‘best cities on the planet’, thanks to its stunning scenery, culture and bohemian energy.

But Bristol’s popularity, which led to the accolade from Time Out magazine, has proven a double-edged sword as the city finds itself in the grip of a , with sky-rocketing rents pushing up the number of people living on the roadside in caravans and vehicles.

Around 800 people live in 650 vans across BristolCredit: Marc Giddings ‘Meanwhile’ sites are temporary, council-managed plots of land for people living in vehiclesCredit: Marc Giddings Some of the biggest communities live on the picturesque Clifton and Durdham DownsCredit: Adrian Sherratt Others have popped up in more backstreet spots over recent years, including behind the city’s IKEA storeCredit: THE SUN

An estimated 800 people live in 650 vans across the city, with a large number on the picturesque Clifton and Durdham Downs, where angry residents launched a petition to force City Council to enforce a five-hour parking rule.

Allegations of drug dealing, discoveries of human waste, anti-social behaviour and environmental damage led locals on the Downs to demand van dwellers were moved on.

Now, a proposed solution that will see the vans relocated to a raft of new ‘meanwhile’ sites’ has dragged a fresh wave of furious neighbours into the ongoing saga.

Perhaps the most contentious plan is to allow up to 30 pitches to move on to the old Brislington railway line near the A4 Bath Road, known as the Tramway, which is at the end of gardens in Repton Road.

One resident, who has a gate at the bottom of her garden leading to the green space, told The Sun: “This is like letting festival move into our garden.

“We’ve had van dwellers and travellers using it on and off for the past few years and it’s been a nightmare, so we’re really angry and resentful about these plans.

“My children used to play out there, we even hired a digger to clear the space and they built a little basketball court, but then caravans appeared and stayed for ages, and we couldn’t use it anymore.

“There was loud music, bonfires and you could smell drugs – people couldn’t use it to walk their dogs anymore.

“Then they’d leave and there would be mountains of rubbish left behind. Needles, drugs paraphernalia, condoms and I’ve also seen human waste. It was disgusting.

“We’ve just bought a balcony to put on the back of the house, but I don’t think we’ll be sitting out there and enjoying looking at the meanwhile site.

“We don’t have the infrastructure to house more people here, and it will devalue our house.

“I do have sympathy for the genuinely homeless, and I realise they have to go somewhere, but we don’t want them in our back garden, it’s not fair.

“What we really want is for the council to make it into a cycle path. My son got knocked off his bike riding to school, so that would be a much safer option.”

The city council has applied to use the land as a ‘temporary’ meanwhile site for up to three years, charging rent of around £130 for water and waste services.

Another resident whose garden backs on to the track said: “I understand the needs of homeless people and those who want to live an alternative lifestyle, and although it sounds a bit NIMBY, I don’t think the Tramway is the best place.

“It’s too close to our houses, it’s like they’d literally be living in our back gardens, which could seriously devalue our properties, so I have objected.”

Another resident who asked to remain anonymous said: “I think meanwhile sites are a good idea as it gets people into the system, but we’ve seen what happens when vans arrive here, and what is normally a nice quiet path gets turned into a tip.

“If it’s not going to be used for parties or raves it’s okay in theory, but how will it be managed or policed?

“My main concern is what will happen to the sewage and waste.

A ‘meanwhile’ site in Lockleaze, in the northern suburbs of BristolCredit: Marc Giddings ‘Meanwhile’ users are charged rent and council taxCredit: Marc Giddings Locals worry over what happens to sewage and wasteCredit: Marc Giddings

“We are in a in Bristol where local people are not a priority, and until they are it will only get worse. Many of the buildings which could be made into homes are allocated to the massive number of students.

“I have a friend who has just been evicted and is now sofa-surfing as there is nothing available to her.”

There are around 70,000 students between the University of Bristol and University of the West of England (UWE), also based in the city.

As of December, Bristol City Council has six open meanwhile sites on derelict land, with plans for further sites in Hengrove, Southmead and the old railroad in Brislington.

The current number of available pitches is just 65, while the council hopes to rehome a total of 250 altogether – just over a third of the total of 650 caravans and other converted vehicles. The cost is £31.50 per week.

A Lockleaze ‘meanwhile’ site user say they ‘won’t get all the things other people who pay council tax do’Credit: Marc Giddings The site resident claimed that there is one tap between a potential 25 caravansCredit: Marc Giddings

In the Lockleaze area at the Blake Centre site, The Sun met Dan, who has lived on meanwhile sites and the roadside since the pandemic.

He unlocked the heavy metal padlocked gate of the compound to speak with us. Only six vans had moved in, some with generators whirring and hidden from view behind green fabric screening surrounding the derelict land.

Wrapped up against the cold, he told us: “We pay rent of almost £130 a month and as of April 1, we’ll have to pay of £140. But we won’t get all the things other people who pay council tax do.

“We’re not allowed to use this an address so we can’t get post and can’t even vote – the only mail we will receive here is the council tax bill.

“If they want to evict us, they only have to give two weeks’ notice, whereas anywhere else you’d get at least four, and we’d have to find somewhere else to go.

“We have one tap between a potential 25 caravans, no waste or water drainage, so we have to pour our own toilets into one of the two Portaloos.

“Any access for visitors you have to get permission for, and we’ve been told only immediate family is allowed, so we just keep ourselves to ourselves.

“It works for people who want an alternative lifestyle but homeless people in vans probably wouldn’t be able to afford it.”

The site is littered with trash and debrisCredit: Marc Giddings Pictures show how the area is boarded up to prevent anyone getting inCredit: Marc Giddings The compound is secured with a heavy metal padlocked gateCredit: Marc Giddings

While the site has one tap, the council had to shut it down last month after residents reported being ill after drinking from it.

After an investigation the van dwellers were advised while it is safe for washing with, the water is not safe for drinking, so any water for cooking or drinking must be collected from the nearby Lockleaze Neighbourhood Hub, where water is limited and when opening hours permit.

More worryingly, some claim the meanwhile sites themselves are unsafe due to crime, although councillors have said it is safer than staying on the roadside.

A van dweller named Rich claimed he had stayed on two sites in Knowle West and the New Fosseway Road in 2022, but was left traumatised after clashing with another tenant contravening the rules.

He said: “If the management of the sites are not willing to enforce rules, evict aggressive people, and defend vulnerable people, then it’s just a wild west with a padlock on the front.

“Why would people give up the plush safe environment of the Downs for a wild west hellhole with no management?”

“I felt alone and vulnerable behind a locked gate. It was more like a prison.”

Councillor Barry Parsons, Chair of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee, said: “Meanwhile sites provide a valuable safe space with access to much needed amenities including fresh water, rubbish collection and toilet facilities and play a vital part in our support package to help vehicle dwellers move away from kerbside living.

“Under UK law, people who live in a caravan or a vehicle, on a pitch, as their sole or main residence are liable for council tax. This applies to meanwhile sites as well as other caravan sites in the city.

“We have written to people living on our sites to let them know that they will be charged from April 1, 2026.

“We are working closely with people living on our meanwhile sites to explore any support available to them, including the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, and offering help to apply for any discounts and exemptions they are entitled to.

“At a time when we are trying to move people away from kerbside living, we want to make living on meanwhile sites an affordable and viable option for vehicle dwellers.”