Two holiday lodges at a Lancashire park were mysteriously burnt to the ground within a single hour, shortly after their owners bravely spoke out about their negative experiences on a BBC Panorama documentary.
A Tale of Two Fires
The separate lodges belonged to Mike Chesworth, 61, and Alison Porter-Garroch, 53, who had both featured in a March 2024 episode of BBC Panorama lamenting the endless struggles of life at Wyre Country Park. The pair claimed on the programme they were misled into buying the homes after being told they could live there all year round.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the former lodgers also recalled numerous health and safety issues on site, including raw sewage leaking from nearby manholes which was then allegedly pumped into a river by a local farmer.
Eviction and Destruction
Following several court cases involving the site's owner, David Welch, the park issued Mr Chesworth with an eviction notice in July this year, stating he had 28 days to leave. On the final day of that notice period, the 61-year-old's lodge tragically caught fire and burnt to the ground.
An hour later, Ms Porter-Garroch, who appeared alongside Mr Chesworth in the documentary, discovered her property had also become ablaze. Fortunately, neither was inside at the time, but they lost all their possessions as the lodges were reduced to charcoal, charred furniture and ashes.
Mr Chesworth had purchased his lodge in 2020 for £180,000, while Ms Porter-Garroch bought hers in 2018 for £98,000.
Ongoing Disputes and Allegations
The BBC Panorama documentary had focused on lodgers' claims they were falsely told by Wyre Country Park management that they had permission to live on site all year round. In a statement at the time, Mr Welch denied misleading buyers and rejected any allegations of intimidation.
However, Mr Chesworth insisted he experienced a general atmosphere of intimidation at the park, recalling one incident where he alleged Mr Welch's associates parked caravans in front of his house and threatened him.
Residents also described ongoing issues including a non-functioning sewage system. Mr Chesworth filmed one instance where raw sewage seeped out near his lodge, stating it was about 12 feet from his front door and threatening to spill across the grass.
Police have been unable to determine the cause of either fire due to their severity, which left little forensic evidence. A man wearing a hoodie was allegedly spotted wandering around the site on the day of the tragedy, while Mr Welch was confirmed to be in Scotland.
A spokesman for Mr Welch told the Daily Mail he tries very hard to run a beautiful park and that the court cases with the former lodge owners had been settled by agreement. The spokesman added that Wyre Park is run by Exclusive Resorts Limited, of which Mr Welch is not a director, though Companies House records list him as being appointed a director on February 22 last year.
Greg Wilson, CEO of European Consumer Claims, which helps claimants taking legal action against alleged holiday park malfeasance, told the Daily Mail: The origins of these two fires which destroyed Alison and Mike's lodges may never be known, and we are not suggesting any foul play. This is even more bad fortune for two people who have suffered a great deal already.
