The National Caravan Council (NCC) has warned that the UK’s manufacturers could lose out to their European counterparts if the rules on the maximum width of mobile homes are changed this year.
Increasing the maximum width of mobile homes from 2.3m to 2.55m during 2010 would put British-based caravan makers at a disadvantage as they would not be able to start making them for around a year, the NCC told politics.co.uk.
The government is considering implementing the change as soon as this spring, but the NCC wants the alteration to the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 to be delayed until 2011 at the earliest.
NCC director-general John Lally told the online resource that UK manufacturers are not currently in a position to start making the larger vehicles.
He added that many European firms already make 2.5m caravans and that this could see them gain a major advantage in the UK market.
The body is also concerned about how the added width will affect access to rural caravan parks and create problems for recovery vehicles, storage units and suppliers.
In other news, the British Insurance Brokers’ Association has told the Caravan Club that mobile home owners could be footing the bill for an increase in fraud.
