With the main holiday season on the horizon, holidaymakers are being urged to avoid unauthorised caravan and camping sites to ensure they don’t encounter problems when they pitch up.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and Pembrokeshire County Council are working together to ensure camping and caravan sites are operating responsibly and safely and have the relevant permissions and licences in place, to ensure everyone can continue to enjoy the beautiful Pembrokeshire countryside.

National Park Authority planning officer Sarah Middleton said: “Camping can be a very enjoyable way of spending time in the great outdoors and Pembrokeshire is home to many camping and caravan sites, providing literally thousands of pitches. Unfortunately sites which are operating outside of the legislation designed to protect members of the public are also becoming more common.

“In the same way as you would avoid tradesmen who aren’t accredited, there’s a need to be careful about where you pitch your tent or park your caravan.

“Not only will this help ensure your stay is an enjoyable one, it will help support the businesses that work hard to get the relevant licences and/or permissions in place.”

There are organisations, such as the Caravan Club, Camping and Caravanning Club and Greener Camping Club, which can grant certificates to allow sites to be used exclusively by their members. These will be small sites for up to five caravans and 10 or so tents.

Campsites and caravan sites operating for more than 28 days-a-year and which do not have these certificates need planning permission. They also need a site licence, which is issued by Pembrokeshire County Council’s public protection team.

Yurts, safari tents, tipis and camping pods all require planning permissions and licensing too.

As well as being an unauthorised use in planning terms, it may be that the standards of the sanitation, fire safety arrangements and public health requirements will have not been checked.

For further information or if you are concerned about sites operating without the proper controls in place contact your local planning authority or environmental health authority.