Residents are concerned staycationers will be greeted by an "eyesore" of caravans and white vans parked at a seaside beauty spot.

The vehicles have been at Palm Bay, near Margate, since the first lockdown and remain a source of frustration for some.

Drivers of the caravans have been accused of taking advantage of the unrestricted parking bays in Palm Bay Avenue near the primary school.

Some residents have contacted Thanet District Council (TDC) to prevent the motorhomes from pitching-up there.

But due to there being no parking restrictions, the local authority's enforcement team cannot take action where no highways offences have been committed.

One resident, who did not wanted to be named, said they have reported the caravans multiple times to the local authorities.

But he says nothing has been done to stop the caravans and white vans parked there.

"The school is very lucky to have the parking spaces it has compared with a lot of other schools," he said.

"But the parking facilities along there have been drastically reduced and the area brought down because, since the first lockdown, we have a minimum of half-a-dozen caravans pitched up in the parking bays."

He said the owners of the caravans and white vans are taking advantage of the free and unrestricted parking.

And as the area prepares for a staycation boom because of uncertainty surrounding holidaying abroad, he is concerned by what visitors will see when they arrive.

"We have the summer coming up and people are going to take advantage of staycations because of Covid restrictions so they are going to make a beeline for the area," he added.

"Palm Bay is a lovely area to come to, but they are going to be met with all of that down there."

A spokesperson for TDC said those who pitch-up in Palm Bay Avenue could include travellers, visitors to the district, rough sleepers who have access to a caravan or a residents parking their caravan.

“Unfortunately, there is not an easy answer," they said.

"There are no parking restrictions on this stretch of Palm Bay Avenue so our enforcement team cannot take action where no Highways offences are being committed.

“If people are identified as homeless, they are referred to the RISE team and outreach officers make contact and offer support.

"Where an issue is raised about any particular caravan / motorhome then our street scene enforcement or community services teams investigate the complaint to try and resolve the issue.”

RISE stands for "Rough sleeper Intervention, Support and Empowerment".

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet