A married couple staying at the High Penderleath campsite in St Ives, Cornwall, caused significant damage to a security gate while attempting to leave the premises . The pair tried to bypass an electronic barrier in the early hours of August 10 to collect their children from a nearby music festival .
The £4,600 bill for a midnight escape
The owners of the High Penderleath campsite in St Ives are facing a £4,600 repair bill after a married couple forced their way through a security barrier. According to the report, the couple spent over an hour attempting to lift the electronic barricade to allow their Volkswagen to pass through. The owners described the resulting damage as "extensive - and very expensive," noting that the costs were entirely avoidable.
The campsite management has indicated that the couple will be receiving a "rather large bill" to cover the repairs. While the owners claim to be reasonable people who understand that travel plans can change, they emphasized that disregarding a security restriction is an unacceptable justification for destroying private property.
A dash to Newquay for the Boardmasters festival
The couple's motivation for the breach was a trip to Newquay to pick up their children from the Boardmasters music festival. As reported by the source, the event had featured high-profile headliners over the weekend, including Lily Allen, Fatboy Slim, and Kasabian. the urgency of the pickup apparently led the parents to ignore the campsite's operational hours .
This incident highlights the logistical chaos that often surrounds major regional events like Boardmasters. When thousands of visitors descend on Cornwall, the pressure on local infrastructure and temporary accommodations like High Penderleath increases, often leading to friction between guests' schedules and the strict security protocols of family-run businesses.
CCTV footage of the High Penderleath barrier breach
Security footage from the High Penderleath site reveals the couple repeatedly leaning and pushing against the electroinc barrier between 12:15 am and 1:53 am on August 10. The footage captures the woman on the phone explicitly stating, "I'm just breaking the barrier as we talk," followed by the sound of the mechanism snapping.
The timing of the incident was a direct violation of the campsite's security policy, which prohibits guests from leaving after 11:30 pm unless there is a genuine emergency. the couple had already been informed they needed to vacate the premises by midday, effectively shortening their week-long stay by one day.
Whether the couple will pay the 'rather large bill'
Despite the clear evidence provided by the CCTV, it remains unknown if the couple has acknowledged the debt or if the High Penderleath owners will need to pursue legal action to recover the £4,600. The source provides the perspective of the campsite owners but does not include a statement or defense from the married couple involved in the incident.
Furthermore, it is unclear if the couple's attempt to leave during the restricted window was prompted by a specific emergency regarding their children at the Boardmasters festival, or if it was simply a matter of convenience. Without a response from the parents, the narrative remains centered on the financial and physical damage left behind in St Ives.
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