AN MP is demanding a meeting with Purbeck District Council and fire safety chiefs after discovering the last official inspection at the Silent Woman Caravan Park at Bere Regis was back in 1984.

Residents have been told they must pay for their porches and extensions to be pulled down to comply with safety rules requiring a six-metre safety gap between park homes.

In one case it will mean an 80-year-old blind woman losing her bathroom if her extension is pulled down.

Mid Dorset and North Poole's Liberal Democrat MP Annette Brooke is calling for a meeting to look into the possibility of the homes being fireproofed.

Bournemouth council is currently in discussions with Dorset Fire and Rescue over the possibility of coating porches with fire-retardant material at one of its parks in order to meet new legislation.

Mrs Brooke said: "How could the council take a decision to bring in enforcement without a site inspection visit with Dorset Fire and Rescue?

"I think it is shocking there has been no proper inspection there since 1984. I'm asking for a site visit between Purbeck District Council, the site owner and a fire safety officer and I want to be there to make sure it happens."

She added: "I think residents are going to be really angry they have had an enforcement order without an inspection visit. I'm saying yes, safety first, but this is not the way to go about it."

Purbeck District Council's chief executive Steve Mackenzie said it was a matter for Dorset Fire and Rescue when it made inspection visits and he added that the council is waiting to see what happens in a similar case in Bournemouth.

He said: "The council is currently liaising with the fire officer and the fire protection officer will be in contact with him again when he has made a decision about the situation in Bournemouth."

He said the council is calling for consistency in meeting safety rules and added: "The model standards are clearly laid out and the council is seeking compliance with the model standards."

First published: April 6