A group of caravan owners are desperate to save their beloved community after they were handed an eviction notice.

The caravan site in Faversham Road, Seasalter, has been running for more than 50 years but landowners Shepherd Neame and the Sportsman landlord Philip Harris have decided to call it a day.

The group, who call themselves “one big family”, have launched a petition this week in a bid to stop the decision tracks and have already attracted more than 300 signatures.

From babies to an 87-year-old, four generations have grown up on the site, where families travel from across the country to stay there from March until October every year.

But this year, their time in this “haven” and “special place” is going to be cut short as they have been asked to leave by August 31.

They say there has been endless tears and sleepless nights since the announcement, but also a great deal of confusion as only some people have been told about the eviction.

Deborah Palmer, a local nurse, has been on the site for the last 20 years, with daughter Michaela and son Patrick.

She said: “I think we are all just pretty confused. There has been little communication and cooperation.

“One resident was told the landowners had spent two weeks deliberating it but we would have to leave.

“We are difficult people to upset but this place is the world to us and people would be absolutely devastated to leave." - Patrick O'Neil

“But we haven’t heard anything for a while and have been trying to speak to someone, but nobody listens.

“They say they want the pub to be at the heart of the community. We are the community!”

Patrick, a teacher, set up the petition online and has been overwhelmed with the response.

He said: “Once you get down here, you simply don’t want to leave. We are not doing anyone any harm and in fact, we are the ones maintaining the site. We fix anything around the site and never ask for help.

“We are just helping them preserve it because we love it here and we don’t want to lose our home.

“We are difficult people to upset but this place is the world to us and people would be absolutely devastated to leave. So many of the older people have invaluable support from each other here; I’m not sure how they would get on without that.

“This is going to cut people off from those they have known for years.”

One resident who has been on the site for more than 30 years is 87-year-old Irene Claxton.

She said: “We have stopped doing our gardens and planting our vegetables because we are scared it just won’t be worth it because we’ll have to leave before anything grows.

“When you see the amount we have done on the site, it’s amazing.

“We don’t do anyone any harm. I’m not sure what we would do without our little community here.

“I really don’t, it’s scary.”

A statement on behalf of Shepherd Neame and Sportsman licensee Phil Harris said: "Following a joint review of the existing site, an exciting future is envisaged for the site.

"Representation has been received from the occupants of the caravans, so the brewery is now investigating all the relevant facts in order to establish the positions of all those involved.

"Anyone wishing to make further enquiries can do so via the brewery website."

To sign the petition,click here