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A friend of a friend has just bought a 27 foot long van(or so he says) and he is planning on towing with a mondeo. Now I thought that us caravanners were limited as to the length we can tow with a bog standard car. Does any one know if  I am correct? please dont reply about the weight issues its the length i am concerned about.

Hi Ritchie

Hope this answers you question

MAXIMUM SIZE OF CARAVAN
The maximum dimensions of a trailer that can be towed by a car or light commercial vehicle in the UK (neither of which may have a maximum allowable weight over 3500kg) are fixed by law at 7m long (excluding the drawbar) and 2.3m wide (including any fixed body parts such as mudguards). Note that this restriction applies to caravans towed by all types of vehicle within this weight limit, including 4x4s and light trucks, so those 2.5m-wide German caravans you see being towed by Transit-type vans or 4x4s are almost certainly illegal.
This law should also apply to tourists from countries where the width limit is higher (as in Germany), but in practice few are ever prosecuted. If you want to tow a caravan over these size limits, then you must use a towing vehicle that has a maximum allowable weight of more than 3500kg (in practice, a heavy commercial – or goods – vehicle). In that case, the trailer can go right up to 12m long and 2.55m wide.