# Dirty cassette dumpers in Aberystwyth



## Hawthorn (Sep 22, 2020)

Just got back from a lovely few days at Aberystwyth. We were lucky enough to park in one of the four dedicated "caravan" bays at the harbour for a couple of nights. We were dismayed to hear that certain locals and councillors were campaigning to get motorhomes banned and that there had even been an article on BBC news about it last week. 
We got home yesterday and our friends who were still there called us last night. They were in a state of disbelief mixed with rage, because they had caught a couple (van pictured below) in the act of emptying their toilet cassette over the wall at the back of the parking bays, down between the wall and the back of the harbour master's office. They challenged them, but couldn't get out there quickly enough to stop them before they did they completed the dastardly deed. They told them in no uncertain terms exactly what they thought of them. The guilty parties then quickly decided not to stay the night after all, took down their silver-screens and cleared off


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Does anyone know whose van this is? 
It's scum like this gets all of us a bad name and provides fuel for those campaigning to get motorhomes banned in the area.


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## trevskoda (Sep 22, 2020)

Report it to the council and police, should kick up some STINK.


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## SquirrellCook (Sep 22, 2020)

I don't want a police state, but it is important that these sort of acts are published.  Bring back the village stocks, a day of public humiliation should cure them.


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## CarlandHels (Sep 22, 2020)

What a shame they didn't video the people actually doing this then going back to the van. Then it would of been worth reporting it and sticking it on as many social media platforms as possible. Name and shame is the best way in my opinion.
Maybe councils etc would see that we are trying to police our lifestyle and stop scum like that...


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## witzend (Sep 22, 2020)

They ought to be reported but the snag is that would alert who ever they where reported to of the incident.

Oh an its not my van an I've not been in Wales for at least 20 yrs


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## tailgate (Sep 22, 2020)

If this is really true, as i find it hard to  believe anyone could do a sickening act like this there is only one word.   SCUM.

No excuse whatsoever, pleading ignorance would be even  worse as it would prove just what these people are.


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## Fisherman (Sep 22, 2020)

Hawthorn said:


> Just got back from a lovely few days at Aberystwyth. We were lucky enough to park in one of the four dedicated "caravan" bays at the harbour for a couple of nights. We were dismayed to hear that certain locals and councillors were campaigning to get motorhomes banned and that there had even been an article on BBC news about it last week.
> We got home yesterday and our friends who were still there called us last night. They were in a state of disbelief mixed with rage, because they had caught a couple (van pictured below) in the act of emptying their toilet cassette over the wall at the back of the parking bays, down between the wall and the back of the harbour master's office. They challenged them, but couldn't get out there quickly enough to stop them before they did they completed the dastardly deed. They told them in no uncertain terms exactly what they thought of them. The guilty parties then quickly decided not to stay the night after all, took down their silver-screens and cleared offView attachment 86775.
> Does anyone know whose van this is?
> It's scum like this gets all of us a bad name and provides fuel for those campaigning to get motorhomes banned in the area.



Quite frankly my contempt for these scumbags knows no bounds.
But posting their reg may contravene some obscure law.
But well done for doing so.
Also your anger, your friends anger, and my anger only goes to show the better side of our community which far outweighs scum like this. As much as I detest what they did, I still don’t support any action taken against us. There are many other abuses taking place in car parks that never leads to other groups from being banned. Also can I commend your friends for what they did, I would also have done so myself.


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## barryd (Sep 22, 2020)

I've  been following the nc500 the land weeps group on Facebook.  It's full of outrage and anti wild camper stuff. No surprise when you see stuff like this.  It only takes a few to tar us all sadly.  It deeply saddens and angers me when I think how hard the members of this community have tried to be good wilders and respect the places we use.

What to be done though?


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## Minisorella (Sep 22, 2020)

It's virtually impossible to prove a negative, ie that the vast majority of us don't and would never dream of doing this. 
It only takes evidence of the odd case where it does happen and the mud (?) will stick to all of us. I just don't know what we can do


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## caledonia (Sep 22, 2020)

If this is true it should be reported to the appropriate authorities. But as usual its second hand news. It’s always a friend or a guy I know who seen it. Could it be the person who seen it had a grievance with the VW owner? If  I was to witness such an act i would be reaching for my phone to get evidence but yet again it was a friend who witnessed it.


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## hotrats (Sep 22, 2020)

Hawthorn said:


> Just got back from a lovely few days at Aberystwyth. We were lucky enough to park in one of the four dedicated "caravan" bays at the harbour for a couple of nights. We were dismayed to hear that certain locals and councillors were campaigning to get motorhomes banned and that there had even been an article on BBC news about it last week.
> We got home yesterday and our friends who were still there called us last night. They were in a state of disbelief mixed with rage, because they had caught a couple (van pictured below) in the act of emptying their toilet cassette over the wall at the back of the parking bays, down between the wall and the back of the harbour master's office. They challenged them, but couldn't get out there quickly enough to stop them before they did they completed the dastardly deed. They told them in no uncertain terms exactly what they thought of them. The guilty parties then quickly decided not to stay the night after all, took down their silver-screens and cleared offView attachment 86775.
> Does anyone know whose van this is?
> It's scum like this gets all of us a bad name and provides fuel for those campaigning to get motorhomes banned in the area.


Should or mabe easily traced as allot of these type of campers are registered on VW forums.


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## mfw (Sep 22, 2020)

Cant accept that - if anyone knows him i would suggest dumping toilet waste from cassette in his property - quite happy putting hand in grey waste so personally dont have problem with seeing people do it - black waste totally different - person is an idiot - ruins it for everyone


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## Fisherman (Sep 22, 2020)

mfw said:


> Cant accept that - if anyone knows him i would suggest dumping toilet waste from cassette in his property - quite happy putting hand in grey waste so personally dont have problem with seeing people do it - black waste totally different - person is an idiot - ruins it for everyone



I do agree with you regarding grey waste, but to the public it simply looks bad.
Most of the CLS I have visited tell us to dump our grey waste in the grass or a hedge. It’s all about perceptions, and to the uniformed dumping grey waste is on a par with dumpling black waste. But like you I would not bother if I witnessed someone doing so.


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## mfw (Sep 22, 2020)

Fisherman said:


> I do agree with you regarding grey waste, but to the public it simply looks bad.
> Most of the CLS I have visited tell us to dump our grey waste in the grass or a hedge. It’s all about perceptions, and to the uniformed dumping grey waste is on a par with dumpling black waste. But like you I would not bother if I witnessed someone doing so.


Yes you're right and i should of said grey waste discretely not a problem but looks bad to people who dont know


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## Fisherman (Sep 22, 2020)

The current owners bought this van in March 2017, so they are not inexperienced.
I noted that it’s registered not as a camper but simply a van.
Excuse my ignorance but I don’t know if that is normal.


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## mistericeman (Sep 22, 2020)

Still think this is a dangerous path to tread.... 

I wasn't there and seems No direct witness.... 

IF there were Photographs of it actually happening then fair enough and probably enough evidence for prosecution... 


But there doesn't appear to be that evidence so far.


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## Fisherman (Sep 22, 2020)

mistericeman said:


> Still think this is a dangerous path to tread....
> 
> I wasn't there and seems No direct witness....
> 
> ...



I tend to agree.
Not that I am doubting the validity of what was posted.
But including the reg may be illegal in the circumstances.


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## mfw (Sep 22, 2020)

Firm believer in dont do to others what you would not like to be done to yourself - black waste you can keep


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## martinmartin (Sep 22, 2020)

I doubt it was a cassette but more than likely a porta potty.


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## Wully (Sep 23, 2020)

martinmartin said:


> I doubt it was a cassette but more than likely a porta potty.



I’ve not seen a short wheelbase vw van with a cassette toilet ever.


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## Tim120 (Sep 23, 2020)

Whilst I wholeheartedly applaud the OP and the intentions a story and a reg number is not proof.


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## QFour (Sep 23, 2020)

Disgusted but not surprised. New breed of campers buying up all sorts of vehicles and they have not got a clue. One of the Facebook Forums had someone asking urgently what to do with a full cassette as they were parked up not on a campsite. There is also a risk to Public Health from human waste. COVID

We were going to go to Stonehenge until someone on this forum told SWMBO that you have to get INVENTIVE with the toilet waste. Not the response you should give to a Nurse with a Degree in Public Health.


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## antiquesam (Sep 23, 2020)

Fisherman said:


> I do agree with you regarding grey waste, but to the public it simply looks bad.
> Most of the CLS I have visited tell us to dump our grey waste in the grass or a hedge. It’s all about perceptions, and to the uniformed dumping grey waste is on a par with dumpling black waste. But like you I would not bother if I witnessed someone doing so.


You'll have to get a grip of that pretictive text of yours. I've now got a vision of faeces dumplings and only being allowed to empty grey waste in my nurses uniform.


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## mark61 (Sep 23, 2020)

antiquesam said:


> You'll have to get a grip of that pretictive text of yours. I've now got a vision of faeces dumplings and only being allowed to empty grey waste in my nurses uniform.


Always had a soft spot for dumplings in uniforms


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## wildebus (Sep 23, 2020)

Fisherman said:


> The current owners bought this van in March 2017, so they are not inexperienced.
> I noted that it’s registered not as a camper but simply a van.
> Excuse my ignorance but I don’t know if that is normal.


The rules that are in place with DVLA currently means that it is nigh on impossible for a van like that to get reclassified as a Motor Caravan. However I would say that putting that aside, it IS a conversion and a full one.  LPG sticker on the rear door; EHU and Water Fill points on the side. (That is VERY rare on a VW Camper Conversion and usually points to a 'professional' conversion.  (We usually put the EHU under the bonnet in 99% of cases).
May have bought the van in '17 to get it converted so could well be on their first trip? 
But .... I would think it wouldn't matter if first trip away or 101st trip away,  anyone with ANY sense of decency would not do that!


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## Fisherman (Sep 23, 2020)

antiquesam said:


> You'll have to get a grip of that pretictive text of yours. I've now got a vision of faeces dumplings and only being allowed to empty grey waste in my nurses uniform.



Predictive not pretictive, maybe you should get a grip of yours mate
Your predictive text that is, not the nurses uniform.


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## groyne (Sep 23, 2020)

The LPG sticker looks very faded, so it's probably not a recent conversion. The DVLA started to toughen up on their conversion policy in the early teens, but it's only in the last year or two that they've really clamped down. I've built two vans and both where accepted as conversions, the last one in 2017, but I don't think they would be if I tried to register them now.


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## antiquesam (Sep 23, 2020)

Fisherman said:


> Predictive not pretictive, maybe you should get a grip of yours mate
> Your predictive text that is, not the nurses uniform.



Unfortunately I can't blame the machine for that one. I was using the laptop and it doesn't have the dreaded thing.


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## iandsm (Sep 23, 2020)

The facts, as reported are that a couple witnessed  one or more van occupants emptying a toilet casset which presumably contained urine and or poo. They confronted the person responsible so must be able to confirm what was being emptied. If it was as suspected then there is certainly an offence against local bylaws and national law. If the witnesses feel so strongly as described. Should they not stand up and be counted, inform the local environmental health and police, make a witness statement and be prepared to attend Court to support any prosecution. I would happily do so and I hope others would too.


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## trevskoda (Sep 23, 2020)

Cannot tell on folk here or you may end up on crutches for remainder of you life,thats if lucky.


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## Deleted member 87152 (Sep 24, 2020)

as an aside to this subject,, last week i found a site between towyn and barmouth,right next to a shingle beach which was ideal for an overnight stop.there were two caravans already there who  were regulars at the site and at about 8.30pm a4x4 pickup with atrailer and a quad turn up and proceed to build a bonfire RIGHT ON THE SHINGLE  from what seemed to be old mdf stuff.they hung around and then buggered off and left it burning.the next morning the remains of the fire contained  melted glass and some metal framing .a disgrace.


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## Hawthorn (Sep 30, 2020)

yorkshireCPLE said:


> What a shame they didn't video the people actually doing this then going back to the van. Then it would of been worth reporting it and sticking it on as many social media platforms as possible. Name and shame is the best way in my opinion.
> Maybe councils etc would see that we are trying to police our lifestyle and stop scum like that...


Yes, it is a shame, but it all happened so quickly, by the time they realised what was going on and got out of their own van, it was too late to start filming.


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## Hawthorn (Sep 30, 2020)

martinmartin said:


> I doubt it was a cassette but more than likely a porta potty.


Surely, that difference is totally irrelevant. What a nit-picking comment!!! 
It was a container from a toilet, containing human waste. Just as bad whether it came out of a cassette or a porta-potty. The whole point is that the people from that vehicle were actually seen emptying it out.


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## Hawthorn (Sep 30, 2020)

witzend said:


> They ought to be reported but the snag is that would alert who ever they where reported to of the incident.
> 
> Oh an its not my van an I've not been in Wales for at least 20 yrs


Yes, it's a difficult one. The knowledge of the incident then gives the council more ammunition in their case to ban all motorhomes from the area.


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## Hawthorn (Sep 30, 2020)

caledonia said:


> If this is true it should be reported to the appropriate authorities. But as usual its second hand news. It’s always a friend or a guy I know who seen it. Could it be the person who seen it had a grievance with the VW owner? If  I was to witness such an act i would be reaching for my phone to get evidence but yet again it was a friend who witnessed it.


Yes, it is true. It was witnessed by a close, reliable friend, who immediately called me to share their disbelief, indignation and rage at what they'd just seen. Not some vague guy known by a friend of a friend. 
They had never set eyes on the van or the people in it ever before, so no grievance except for seeing them dump the waste from their loo. 
Also, are you sure that you could get out of your van, check out what was going in and reach for your phone, turn it on, select your camera and start filming before they had stopped emptying it? 
It's easy to make a critical comment after the fact, but most people don't expect to see such a thing happening, especially in such a place in such close proximity to others, so wouldn't be armed with a switched on camera at all times.


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## molly 2 (Sep 30, 2020)

ail part of hate campaign  against  campers  .proberbly  fake news


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## Fisherman (Sep 30, 2020)

Hawthorn said:


> Yes, it is true. It was witnessed by a close, reliable friend, who immediately called me to share their disbelief, indignation and rage at what they'd just seen. Not some vague guy known by a friend of a friend.
> They had never set eyes on the van or the people in it ever before, so no grievance except for seeing them dump the waste from their loo.
> Also, are you sure that you could get out of your van, check out what was going in and reach for your phone, turn it on, select your camera and start filming before they had stopped emptying it?
> It's easy to make a critical comment after the fact, but most people don't expect to see such a thing happening, especially in such a place in such close proximity to others, so wouldn't be armed with a switched on camera at all times.



You know as much as this is a disgusting act, the fact that so many on here have responded with anger and despair sums us up for what we really are.
Also could you imagine such reaction to people letting their dogs crap all over that same carpark, and dog faeces are far more harmful to health than human.
Particularly if the dog has not been wormed. Sadly we are always on the defensive, aware that such behaviour reflects poorly on us all. Its one rule for us and another for others who abuse such locations.


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## SquirrellCook (Sep 30, 2020)

Fisherman said:


> Particularly if the dog has not been wormed.


Based on some people’s toilet habits they may need worming to.


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## caledonia (Sep 30, 2020)

Fisherman said:


> You know as much as this is a disgusting act, the fact that so many on here have responded with anger and despair sums us up for what we really are.
> Also could you imagine such reaction to people letting their dogs crap all over that same carpark, and dog faeces are far more harmful to health than human.
> Particularly if the dog has not been wormed. Sadly we are always on the defensive, aware that such behaviour reflects poorly on us all. Its one rule for us and another for others who abuse such locations.


The reaction to people letting their dogs crap all over the carpark is an £80 fine or up to £1000 if taken to magistrates court


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## trevskoda (Sep 30, 2020)

caledonia said:


> The reaction to people letting their dogs crap all over the carpark is an £80 fine or up to £1000 if taken to magistrates court


How could it be proven, a chap i deal with was seen with dog doing its biz and a warden went to him to give a ticket, he just walked for miles round the beach head and over rocks so the warden gave up, later he got his son to take him back to car park to get his car, impossible to police unless you give name and address.


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## martinmartin (Sep 30, 2020)

Hawthorn said:


> Surely, that difference is totally irrelevant. What a nit-picking comment!!!
> It was a container from a toilet, containing human waste. Just as bad whether it came out of a cassette or a porta-potty. The whole point is that the people from that vehicle were actually seen emptying it out.


Not nitpicking flower,porta potty are the domain of day vans, cassettes motorhomes,


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## Fisherman (Sep 30, 2020)

trevskoda said:


> How could it be proven, a chap i deal with was seen with dog doing its biz and a warden went to him to give a ticket, he just walked for miles round the beach head and over rocks so the warden gave up, later he got his son to take him back to car park to get his car, impossible to police unless you give name and address.



More importantly Trev.
The warden quite rightly was attempting to fine the individual who left the mess.
Not seeking to treat every dog owner the same by banning all dog walkers.
Just imagine the public outcry if that was ever attempted.


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## Hawthorn (Oct 1, 2020)

molly 2 said:


> ail part of hate campaign  against  campers  .proberbly  fake news


NO it is NOT fake news. My close friends saw it with their own eyes. No doubt there are many hate campaigns against campers, but I would not have posted this if there had been any shred of doubt about the validity of the information.


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## Hawthorn (Oct 1, 2020)

martinmartin said:


> Not nitpicking flower,porta potty are the domain of day vans, cassettes motorhomes,


Flower??? 
Totally irrelevant! Whatever it is, the act is just as bad. Whatever their vehicle, the point is that they were using it for wild camping and thought it was OK to empty their excrement out in such a place!


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## angelaa (Oct 4, 2020)

Unbelievable, again the few spoil it for everybody else.  We were at Aberystwyth a couple of weeks ago (not in our motorhome).  The council had put a separate laminated sign up as there were loads of vans there, asking people not to put table and chairs out.  Within 5 feet of the notice there were 6 people sat out on the road with table and chairs.  They don’t help themselves.


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## AndyC (Oct 4, 2020)

Ceredigion's motorhome parkings at Aberystwyth and Cardigan were a trial to gauge how it would work,  the trial ended at the end of September and overnight stays are no longer officially permitted. 

The trial will be reviewed sometime next year.  I'm not in a position to predict the outcome, suffice to say they are well aware of the problems at Aberystwyth.


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## REC (Oct 4, 2020)

@Hawthorn  is it too late for your friends to report what happened to the authorities? Even without proof at least action has been taken...you never know, there might be a cctv nearby which could corroborate? As the vehicle was photographed by then also, and this could be identified as being around at the time, an interview as potential witness (!) could be done. Unlikely really but might make your friends feel better.


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## Mikebike (Oct 4, 2020)

Wully said:


> I’ve not seen a short wheelbase vw van with a cassette toilet ever.


Yep I had a short wheelbase vw with cassette toilet converted BT Autohaus in Minehead Leisure drive also build one with cassette toilet and have been for years also Hillside in Derby do.


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## mistericeman (Oct 4, 2020)

Wully said:


> I’ve not seen a short wheelbase vw van with a cassette toilet ever.



They're not always visible from outside...


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## barge1914 (Oct 4, 2020)

Fisherman said:


> More importantly Trev.
> The warden quite rightly was attempting to fine the individual who left the mess.
> Not seeking to treat every dog owner the same by banning all dog walkers.
> Just imagine the public outcry if that was ever attempted.


Quite so. Some car drivers ignore speed limits, lets ban all cars...see where that gets you.


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## barge1914 (Oct 4, 2020)

AndyC said:


> Ceredigion's motorhome parkings at Aberystwyth and Cardigan were a trial to gauge how it would work,  the trial ended at the end of September and overnight stays are no longer officially permitted.
> 
> The trial will be reviewed sometime next year.  I'm not in a position to predict the outcome, suffice to say they are well aware of the problems at Aberystwyth.


Seems to me it makes more sense to provide places where you can keep an eye on people’s behaviour and catch them out it when it happens, rather than to ban them in one place so they scatter their nasty habits all over the place.


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## Bertilak (Oct 4, 2020)

On the hygiene front, it depends what was actually dumped ...
many people, especially in smaller vans, only ever use their porta potties for wee overnight, and go and find a public toilet (or NT property etc) for more in the morning. For 7 years, until this year, this strategy has worked ok enough for us wild-camp touring in a VW. It usually lasts 2 nights until we go to a camp site in order to shower and get more water.

I confess, there have been a few occasions where I've emptied the loo in public places.  But it's only ever been wee; no solids, no paper, no chemicals. Little different to the cow in the next field.
This is also identical to traditional practice camping on CLs, where any tent with with an extended flysheet would have a bucket so you didn't have to go outside at night, which got chucked in the hedge in the morning.

Wilding in a van, as I'm not paying a farmer for use of his field, I'm also really careful about where I've empty it. Moorland ditches, desolate forestry sites, or fast flowing rivers come to mind. And making sure there are no onlookers in case they jump to the wrong conclusion.

This year it has all changed, Many councils decided people don't need to go the the toilet during the pandemic, and and the Public Conveniences have been closed. The cafe's and attractions have also been shut. This made life difficult (but doesn't justify the total disregard some t-pots have had for public land).
So on a trip to SW Scotland in May, we had to poo in the potti. Finding places to empty it became a theme for the trip, it's only small. One time on a campsite the queue for the toilets was so long it was quicker to use our own, and go and empty it, before we left.
A more recent fortnight in Cornwall was easier, more public toilets were open, there were more campsites open, and we chose to use more pub stops.
Although this time I took a folding spade, I didn't need it. I wonder if the NT would have approved! . this is also traditional practice. I remember arriving by bicycle at a C&CC weekend meet, and being given a toilet tent and a spade to dig my own loo! I think everyone is going nimby-ish, soft and lazy!


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