East Lindsey District Council decided to axe the site at the end of this season, saying it had lost £10,000 over the last five years and that occupancy rates were low.

John Archer, who runs the Witham Road fish and chop shop and who started the petition, said: "Support from local people has been fantastic and I haven't found anyone who can make sense of the closure plan.

"I am not against people playing croquet – I support any kind of sport – but the caravan site is such an asset."

Coun Mick Harness, one of Woodhall's representatives on East Lindsey District Council, was planning to present the petition to the authority today, Wednesday.

It was signed by 1,332 people in Woodhall Spa and by a further 1,465 in surrounding areas including Kirkstead Bridge, Martin Dales, Stixwould and Roughton.

Coun Craig Leyland, chairman of Friends of Jubilee Park, said as a district councillor he was working very hard on 'the possibility of future developments' for the caravan site but it was too early to comment in detail.

A Skegness woman who regularly rents a pitch on the site said she feared its closure had been 'a foregone conclusion' two years ago when the Friends of Jubilee Park first unveiled hopes for development of the Park.

Erskine Corporation, the consultants employed by ELDC, reported the camping/caravanning site was 'possibly not an appropriate use of a valuable location and space'.

One of the options suggested 'the provision of landscaped pleasure gardens, three croquet greens, more open space and better vehicular access is of more value to the amenity than the caravan site'.

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