Motorhome dweller 'trapped' as car park closed

An ex-firefighter says he is trapped after the car park where his motorhome is located was closed off by the council.

Richard Fitzgerald has lived at the car park in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, for a year with no heating, electricity or running water.

He said a council refuse lorry became stuck and "churned up the ground" last week, while he was not at the site. He returned, then got stuck himself, before the council blocked off the entrance.

Dacorum borough councillor for the ward, Pete Hannell, said work to lay a new purpose-built car park would begin by early May and would take about four weeks to complete.

Fitzgerald served as a Hertfordshire firefighter for nearly three decades and said he left the service on ill-health grounds "one year shy of receiving his full pension".

He said he became homeless after the breakdown of his marriage and bought his motorhome to live in, and he has been at the car park behind Bennetts End Surgery.

Fitzgerald said he made numerous applications to be housed by Dacorum Borough Council but was told he was "not a priority", despite what he called his "mental health issues".

He said he had appealed without success.

The barriers at the car park mean Fitzgerald cannot leave the site in his mobile home to "empty his chemical toilet, go to local food banks or use shower facilities offered in the community for the homeless".

A spokesperson for Dacorum Borough Council said: "While we are unable to comment on individual cases, we can provide reassurance that whenever an individual presents as homeless or at risk of homelessness, the council undertakes a full review of their circumstances.

"In situations where our assessment determines that the council does not have a legal duty to provide accommodation, we ensure that individuals are offered advice, guidance, and signposting to appropriate alternative housing options and support services."

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