Family in ‘holiday from hell’ – for an hour
AFAMILY slammed Southport Pontins after staying only 59 minutes in a chalet they say was like a “manky prison cell”.
Steve Clinton, 53, and his wife Rebecca, 35, took their daughter, Elise, three, to the holiday park for a family break.
But he claims he was greeted with a “holiday from hell” as soon as he walked into the family’s chalet.
The family are among dozens of travellers to have reported similar experiences at the holiday camp – but said they weren’t aware of any previous issues.
Steve, from Marfleet, Hull, said the building looked as though it “hadn’t been cleaned in years” and there was a hole in the roof, according to Hull Live.
The final straw came after he says he saw a “kid’s mouldy sock” poking out of the bottom of a dirty, rusty radiator and had no choice but to abandon the room and seek refuge in a nearby B&B.
Steve said: “I’ve seen some things in my time, but it is the worst accommodation I’ve been in.
“I’ve never seen a place so dirty.
“It was like a prison block and from the outside it looked like a Cold War bunker.
“It wasn’t healthy for my three-year-old daughter and the pull-out sofa bed was the size of a postage stamp.”
Steve, who had even paid an extra £60 for a “club” room – a more deluxe-style accommodation – checked in for four nights at the Ainsdale complex on September 9. He said: “I take things as they come on face value and don’t look at TripAdvisor, and we booked Southport because it sounded all right.
“The first thing I noticed driving up was how shabby it looked and how it looked like a Cold War bunker.
“There were a few issues with the place, so as soon as we got there and parked up we went to reception. We paid an extra £60 for a club apartment, upgrade, so we arrived at 2pm.
“We got into reception with not really a problem.
“As you drive around, it’s a big circle of chalets, but they look like they had been cloned.
“It looks like a zoo or prison block with the big glass fronts. There was no privacy. It went right to the other side and up some steps.
“That’s not a problem, but as soon as we got upstairs, we noticed the whole building was filthy.”
While unpacking, Steve decided to look around the room to inspect it further, but was shocked when he says he saw a child’s sock poking out the bottom of the bedroom radiator.
Explaining what the room looked like, Steve said: “There was muck, dirt and it was just full of cobwebs. It was the whole unit of apartments, it had been stuck in time for 20 years at least.
“There was no privacy either – it was just a big goldfish bowl.
“There was a big hole in the roof and, of course, we opened the door and there was a little dingy room, not bigger than a caravan.
“There was a sofa bed and, as we pulled it out, needless to say, it was the size of a postage stamp.
“We had a tiny little table and a little far corner and kitchen area. Just beside that there was a little cupboard and a 19” TV, but above that was a picture which was art deco with a pin that had been put through the nipple of the woman.”
Steve claims that was “proof” that the room hadn’t been cleaned and he stopped unpacking.
He said: “It was about the size of a prison cell, not a good condition, with a rusty radiator hanging off the wall.
“This was manky and when I looked behind the radiator, it was filthy. And there was a kid’s sock hanging out the bottom.
“I couldn’t believe it, I really couldn’t.
“It had never been looked at ever, it was obvious to see that they had never cleaned it. It had never been cleaned, full of rubbish and all sorts. At that sort of point, I had had enough.
“We actually sort of unpacked before seeing this mess, then just packed back up and left.
“I stood outside on the balcony and saw the next cell block with their faces. It was very much a picture.
“I paid for an upgrade, but every room was exactly the same.
“It’s almost stuck in time. The best thing to do would be to bulldoze it, to be honest.
“It’s [Pontins] going to ruin and they are taking people’s money.”
Steve says he took the sock back to reception to show staff before leaving. He had to pay an extra £143 for a B&B in Southport, and said that he was not surprised to see similar negative reviews online.
He added: “I got back home after the week away and went online and it was all the same. I put a review online.
“It would have ruined the entire week if we would have left, but I thought about going straight back home.
“It would have been seven hours wasted, but at least I wasn’t in there any more.”
Pontins has been contacted for comment.