A MUM who found out she was terminally ill weeks after buying a caravan is pleading with a holiday park operator to give her a refund.

Tina Martin, 47, fulfilled a lifelong dream of owning a holiday home when she purchased a caravan situated at Valley Farm, Clacton, last September.

In total she paid £38,000 in cash for the unit, which was meant to include a washing machine and shed, and forked out for rent, water, electricity and sewage bills.

Three weeks later, however, Tina, single mother to Jenny and David, was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer and given just a year to live. 

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Since then, she has been trying to sell the caravan back to Parkdean Resorts, the operator which runs Valley Farm, but so far she had no luck.

She said: “Parkdean Resorts have refused to help me even though my children will soon be orphans and my family will be left to take the fight to Valley Farm.

“Doctors have given me about 12 months left in this world and I have sent Parkdean documents which show clearly how ill I am.

“In total my children and I have not even been in our caravan for more than three weeks and the washing machine never came and the shed was never put up.”

According to Tina, Parkdean Resorts has a cooling-off period of one month in which time any holiday home can be returned if the buyer changes their mind after the purchase.

Tina says she did not try to get a refund for her dream caravan until six weeks after buying it but hopes park bosses will show some compassion given her situation.

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“They have refused to take my tragic circumstances into consideration so I am now here trying to sell my caravan privately before going back to hospital,” she added.

A spokesperson for Valley Farm said: “We are supporting Ms Martin, we are fully committed to helping to resolve this situation, and believe we have agreed a solution.”