A caravan park owner faces challenges after losing access to their Facebook page.

A caravan park owner said that a "vitally important" part of his business was lost after the site's Facebook page was shut without warning.
A caravan park owner faces challenges after losing access to their Facebook page.

A caravan park owner said that a "vitally important" part of his business was lost after the site's Facebook page was shut without warning.

Black Bull Caravan Park in Pickering, North Yorkshire, has been going for over 25 years and has relied on the social media site to stay in touch with customers.

But just over two months ago, owner James Wright discovered that the business's Facebook page had vanished and a message stated this was down to a "trademark infringement".
 
Mr Wright has said he has been "left in the dark" as a result of attempts made to contact Meta, the parent company of Facebook. Meta has been contacted for comment.

Mr Wright said he believed there had been a "national issue" which had seen Facebook remove a number of pages with the name Black Bull.

The site is not the only business named Black Bull that has been affected, as an unrelated pub in Lincolnshire with a similar name faced the same problem.

Mr Wright said it was the business's "only social channel".

"It's got hundreds of reviews, nearly 6,000 likes and a lot of people use the page for booking enquiries and general questions about us as a business," he said.

He added that the firm had been posting on its page for 10 years and it was a "critical part" of his trade.

Mr Wright's efforts to get the page back had so far been unsuccessful but he said he had filled out an online appeal form.

"They were supposed to come back to me within 48 hours but I’ve not heard anything since. I’ve been left in the dark really," he said.

Previously, Julie and Lee Loach, who run the Black Bull in Donington in Lincolnshire, said their page was pulled as well.

They said the majority of bookings are done through their Facebook page, and so its removal meant any reservations on it were lost.

The couple described the experience as a "travesty," but said their page has since been reinstated in October, making Mrs Loach "overjoyed".

She said she believes the page was closed as part of an AI sweep and attributed media attention for its restoration.
Mr Wright hopes he has a similar experience when it comes to his page.

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2024-11-18 18:17:27