THE number of caravans and motor homes on Britain's roads has hit the half-million mark.

Celebrities and young sporty types with retro-style VW camper vans are helping boost the image.

Touring now accounts for nearly one in five holidays taken by UK residents every year, the latest figures show.

Membership of The Caravan Club, the biggest group of its kind in Europe, is growing faster than ever.

There are 334,000 households in the club who own either a caravan, motor home or trailer tent.

This represents a total of 850,000 people who take touring holidays.

Caravan Club members include celebrities such as Gail Hipgrave, ex-Take That singer Mark Owen and TV holiday show presenter Roland Rivron.

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is among those who have rediscovered the 60s-style VW camper vans, with a souped-up version he takes all over Europe.

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