Man fined after torching his own holiday home at Leisure Lakes

Jul 2 2009 by Andrew Brown, Ormskirk Advertiser

A CARAVAN owner has been fined more than £500 after burning his holiday home to the ground.

Fred Jordan was prosecuted at Ormskirk Magistrates Court, following the blaze at Leisure Lakes in Tarleton.

Mr Jordan, whose home address is at Manor House Close in Leyland, runs the cowboy-themed Western Frontier Pub at the holiday site and had bought a new caravan.

Instead of disposing of his old caravan responsibly he set fire to it, on February 5.

Council officers visited the campsite following complaints and observed dark smoke pouring from the scene.

As a result, Mr Jordan pleaded guilty to the offence. He was fined £150 and ordered to pay costs of £350 as well as a £15 victim surcharge.

Councillor Andrew Fowler, West Lancs District Council portfolio holder for community services and health, said: “Anyone with common sense can see that burning a caravan is not the correct way to dispose of it, but Mr Jordan thought he knew best and made the mistake of setting fire to his old one. His irresponsible actions have cost him over £500.

“This case once again goes to show that we will take action against people polluting the local environment for others. We take a zero tolerance approach to this sort of behaviour and we have an excellent record in relation to our legal cases. The officers concerned worked hard to put this case together and should be congratulated for this result.”

Anyone who would like to know more about environmental protection can log onto www.westlancs.gov.uk/environmentalprotection or can contact 01695 577177 for advice.