Hundreds of angry owners who can't visit their caravans have slammed a holiday park operator for refusing to offer any refunds.
Parkdean Resorts, which runs 67 parks across the UK, sent out an email on Thursday warning caravan owners it would not be giving back a penny of their fees, which can reach up to £6,941 per year.
Holidaymakers are calling on the firm to 'act morally' - with one owner, Andy Gibbons, 45, revealing some of the 5,200 member-strong group are discussing taking legal action.
Dad-of-four Andy currently owns two caravans on the company's Challaborough Bay park in Kingsbridge, Devon, and forks out a hefty £10,000 a year in site fees - but is unable to visit due to lockdown.
Wrexham-based Stacie Rowlands and her wife Kirsty have been unable to rent theirs out due to coronavirus but say they still face a four-figure bill come winter.
Self-employed Elizabeth Panico, 38, and her husband Carl Mellor have lost months of income and admit paying fees at the end of the year just won't 'add up'.
So far other holiday park giants have offered site fee payers partial refunds, including Golden Sands, who offered a backdated credit of 60 percent for each week they are closed.
But Parkdean has since confirmed their pitch fee 'does not guarantee that the park will remain open or that owners will be able to use their holiday home at any particular time'.
Andy, from Plymouth, Devon, said: "It's a kick in the teeth. They are sending a message out to owners who have been loyal for years to say 'you can't come on the site but we'll charge you for the privilege anyway'.
"We pay in advance in December for the year coming. If we can't fight it and get the money back the only option we have is to retain money for the year going forward.
"We're in a situation where we can't use it or rent it, so there's no way we'll be in a position at the end of this year to find £10,000 to pay for the next year going forward.
"We've not had any time at all to enjoy the van."
Coach driver Andy said: "We will look to pursue this at the highest level. We're already talking about chipping together.
"That email went out to 20,000 owners. If we all chipped in £1 each, legal costs wouldn't be an issue.
"They make out it's doom and gloom but they're saving a lot of money. It's literally grass cutting. It doesn't matter how they dress it up."
Customer Elizabeth and her husband purchased their caravan two years ago and feel they have been 'treated like criminals'.
The fabric shop owners scrape together the £4,000 fee each winter for their van sited at Crimdon Dene in Hartlepool, County Durham.
Yet they were angered that they had only been offered 10 percent more off food and drinks.
Mum-of-five Elizabeth, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, said: "Parkdean are being quite arrogant.
"They are not communicating with the owners - like we're criminals. I'm not happy.
"I'd have liked a courtesy call saying 'we're all in this together. This is the situation. Hope you're well and safe'."
Stacie, 36, who cares for four young children, also bought a caravan on the Parkdean Ty Mawr site in Wales last April and is already trying to get out of her contract after calling on the firm to 'act morally'.
Stacie, from Wrexham, North Wales, said: "I don't blame the park - it's not their fault they have to shut down. But when other sites are refunding some fees or helping their owners.
"They are acting morally but Parkdean are not interested in the slightest."
Mum-of-two Jennie Groom from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, said: "It's the moral side.
"Legally they're not obliged to but it's the moral decision.
"We've been renting off them for 20 years and two years ago we bought our first caravan.
"At the moment I'm not earning a penny, I have two children, then we're having to find £4,000 by the end of the year. It's worrying."
Last night the company stood firm - offering 10 per cent more off food and drinks instead of refunds and was also unable to confirm if they would be putting up site fees for 2021.
A spokeswoman for Parkdean Resorts said: “We understand that this is a frustrating and worrying time for everybody, and this is not the outcome that some owners had wanted.
"We value our relationship with owners and have a number of initiatives to support them at this time, including direct debit support and owner discounts on foods and drinks.
"We are doing all we can to ensure our owners can return to park and look forward to welcoming them back as soon as it is safe to do so.
“The pitch licence agreement allows owners to keep their holiday home on the park, in exchange for paying the pitch fee.
"It does not guarantee that the park will remain open or that owners will be able to use their holiday home at any particular time, especially in the event of a public health emergency such as this where the government has ordered entire industries to shut down.”
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