RESIDENTS in Teesdale are angry that owners of holiday homes are ignoring government instructions to stay away to avoid putting extra strain on resources.
Four days after officials said essential travel does not include visits to second homes, camp sites and caravan parks visitors have continued to turn up to properties in Teesdale. Noreen Liddle, took to social media to vent her anger. She said: “Government recommendations are that you stay in your main residence not a second home.
“I just don’t understand why some people think they are immune to the advice.”
Newbiggin-in-Teesdale resident Nickie Hough added: “Tell them we don’t want them here. Utass have plans to help locals, but all that could be undermined with an influx of holidaymakers.”
The police were called to Middleton-in-Teesdale on Wednesday, March 25, after campers pitched up on Beck Road. Sgt Simon Rogers confirmed officers had been out to speak to the people.
He said: “We have spoken to them and they are going to move on. There were two vehicles and they had stayed overnight as they had consumed alcohol. Most people are adhering to the governments guidelines.”
Meanwhile, resident Lindsay Wadell took a photo of two campervans parked at Forest of Teesdale. One stayed the night. He said: “Some people are not doing what they should.”
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
