A group of caravan owners have been forced off a site after their holiday homes passed their sell-by date.

Fifty-five owners who rented pitches at the Martello Beach Caravan Park, Pevensey Bay, quit the park at the beginning of the week.

Up to 100 more may soon follow as their caravans reach a ten-year deadline.

David Morris, chairman of the Martello Beach Caravan Owners' Association, said the group would fight to stay on the site and talks would continue in the New Year with the help of a solicitor.

He said: "At the last count there were about 340 pitches on the site and we think 290 of those were occupied. We have 143 members so that's about 50 per cent.

"They were getting rid of 55 and we had to let those owners make their own decisions because we haven't had time to do anything about it.

"We have employed a solicitor and we are hoping to meet again towards the latter part of this week."

The park was taken over by Haulfryn Summer Homes, based in England and Wales, in September.

The new owners informed holiday makers by letter in October that caravans more than ten years old would have to be destroyed or removed as they posed a safety threat.

Rod Tucker, divisional managing director of Haulfryn, said scrapping old caravans was a standard part of the industry code of practice.

He said any queries over the age of vans would be looked into.

The company, which owns numerous parks around the country, plans to invest heavily in the site and update the facilities.