Caravan owners are being forced out of their holiday homes after the site was sold to new owners by a council.

On the day The Argus published a story in which the new owners of the Golden Sands park on Lancing seafront gave assurances that everybody's caravan would remain, eviction notices were issued.

New owners, the Moses Cooper family, have told at least six caravan owners they must leave.

The site, when run by Adur District Council, allowed caravan owners to buy their own caravans and put them permanently on the site for a rent of just over £1,250 a year.

Most owners of caravan parks, including the Moses Cooper family, based in Worcestershire, prefer to sell brand-new caravans to people on sites tied in with a yearly rental agreement.

One of the people told to quit is Chris Jones, 57, from Croydon, who has had a caravan on the site for 15 years.

He has been told to take his caravan away by November 11.

Mr Jones, who is chairman of the Golden Sands Residents' Association, said: "The notice tells me to leave the site and not come back. It does not talk about me moving my caravan while new sewers are put in or anything like that, it tells me to take my caravan away in no uncertain terms.

"Without pitches to put caravans on, the caravans dramatically lose value. I believe the new owners, who also deal in caravans, want to get as many people off as possible, put new caravans on the site and then sell them to new owners, making a profit from the sale and also getting the increased rental income."

Mr Jones paid £10,000 for his caravan, but said it would be worth £2,000 if he had to take it off its stand.

Another caravan owner Alex Forzani, who paid £5,000 to put a caravan on the site in July, has been told he will not get a contract to remain next year.

He said: "I am trying to see what my options are. I could be stuck with an investment that could become worthless. Without a pitch, the caravan might be worth £200 for scrap."

The site used to belong to Adur District Council but was sold to the Moses Cooper family last month for an undisclosed sum. Since then, rents at the park have been doubled to £2,594.

The Moses Cooper family have declined to comment about the eviction notices despite repeated calls and messages from The Argus.

Last week, Moses Cooper junior told The Argus. "Everyone will get their contracts renewed next year. We have told the residents that they will not be able to come back onto the site until March 1. There is a lot of work to be done over the winter. We are planning to connect all the homes to mains sewers. The car parks will be upgraded and the site landscaped."