Most people who ring us about caravan storage have run out of options at home. The drive is too short, the covenant on the estate does not allow it, or the neighbours have started to mention it. Our yard at Standard Wharf in Erith takes caravans, motorhomes, campervans, trailers and horseboxes, by the month or over the winter.
What the yard is actually like
Gated, monitored, and hard-standing throughout — not a grass field that turns to mud in November and sinks a jockey wheel. It is a working recovery yard, which means somebody is there at odd hours rather than it being locked up and forgotten from October to March.
Getting it here, and getting it out again
This is the part that separates us from a storage field. If you do not fancy towing a seven-metre caravan through Erith, we will come and get it — that is what the trucks are for. Same when you want it back in the spring: tell us a date and we will have it on your drive rather than you making two trips and reversing onto a busy road.
It also means that if something goes wrong with it while it is here — a flat tyre, a seized brake, a knackered jockey wheel — we can deal with it rather than telling you to arrange somebody.
Over-winter storage, and what to do before you leave it
A few minutes now saves a much worse job in April. Empty the water system completely and leave the taps open. Take the leisure battery home or put it on a maintenance charger. Clear the fridge and leave the door propped. Put the handbrake off and chock the wheels instead, because a handbrake left on all winter has a habit of seizing. And take anything soft home with you — cushions and bedding left in a cold van come back smelling of it.
Tyres are the one people forget. A caravan sitting on the same patch for six months develops flat spots and the sidewalls perish from UV even when the tread is fine. Inflate slightly above the normal pressure before you leave it, and if it is going to be here more than a season it is worth us moving it a few feet occasionally.
Insurance
Keep your own policy running while it is stored. Most caravan insurers ask where the van is kept and some offer a reduced premium for a gated hard-standing site — ask us for the site details and we will give you whatever your insurer wants in writing.
What it costs
It depends on the length, whether you want it moved in and out, and how long it is staying. Tell us what you have and how long for, and we will quote it. No deposit, and no tie-in beyond the month you have paid for.
Available across our whole coverage area
Questions we get asked
I searched for vehicle recovery near me — how close are you?
Our yard is at Standard Wharf, 189 Manor Road in Erith, DA8 2AD, and every truck starts from there. If you are in Bexley, Dartford, Greenwich or anywhere in that belt we are usually with you inside half an hour. Further into London or out towards Medway and Maidstone it is closer to an hour. Ring us with your postcode and we will give you a real number rather than a hopeful one — and if somebody closer would genuinely reach you faster in an emergency, we will say so.
Do you do MOTs and servicing as well as recovery?
Yes, and it is a bigger part of what we do than most people realise. We MOT, service and repair vehicles at our own workshop in Erith, and we collect and deliver free of charge across London and Kent — so you do not need to take a morning off to sit in a waiting room. If the MOT turns up work, we can do it there and then rather than sending you somewhere else, and we stock new and used parts ourselves.
Can you fit a tyre at the roadside, or only tow the car?
Both. If you have a serviceable spare we will change the wheel where you are. If you have no spare — and most new cars are sold without one — we can bring a replacement tyre out and fit it on the spot. Tell us the tyre size when you ring; it is on the sidewall, something like 205/55 R16. The exception is a fast road or a motorway, where we recover the car somewhere safe first, because kneeling beside a live carriageway is how people get hurt.
How quickly can you get to me?
Across our home patch — Erith, Belvedere, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Dartford — we are typically with you inside 30 to 60 minutes. Further out across London it depends on distance and traffic, and we are honest about that: when you ring, we give you a realistic arrival window based on where our nearest truck actually is, rather than an optimistic guess. If traffic changes it, we call you and tell you.
Are you really available 24 hours?
Yes. We operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including Christmas Day and bank holidays. There is always a real person answering 07961 100260 — no call centre, no queue, no automated menu.