Pontins holidaymakers say Brean Sands park 'needs shutting down'
A pair of holidaymakers that went to Pontins in Brean Sands have said the resort should be shut down - one year after an ITV News investigation exposed complaints from visitors.
Since then it appears conditions have not improved.
One couple that visited the holiday park in recent weeks said their chalet was dirty and smelly, likening the site to a "scene from Shameless".
Lindsay Adams and Martin Mahoney booked the last minute trip away to one of the West Country's largest holiday resorts after working throughout the pandemic.
They have since contacted ITV News and asked to share their experience.
Lindsay and Martin were due to get married in June before travelling to Rhodes for their honeymoon, but the pandemic made their trip impossible.
They said the floor of their chalet had not been swept, with leftover food remaining from previous guests.
Lindsay said it was so bad, it must "breach some kind of hygiene laws."
Her partner Martin added, "It needs shutting down. Just that place. I've not been to others. That's our feelings on the one in Brean. We're not going to be the only ones to say that, I guarantee."
ITV News: A Brean Sands Special Investigation
WATCH: ITV News special investigation into Pontins Brean Sands
As an inquiry continued into an air duct collapse at Pontins in February 2019, ITV News launched an investigation following multiple complaints by disappointed guests.
A former staff member at the park in Brean Sands said she felt sorry for anyone who goes there on holiday.
Expert analysis by a team of scientists from the University of Bath revealed the rooms were not being cleaned regularly, allowing bacteria to grow on furnishings.
At the time a spokesperson for Pontins promised to investigate the complaints made by families who had stayed there and were looking in to the findings of our investigation.
While ITV News has received complaints from unhappy holiday makers, plenty of people book to stay at the site in Brean Sands every year - and return for more.
We spoke to one guest who admitted, "It's had a few bad reviews so I took all my own cleaning stuff down."
Another commented, "It's not the best when you first arrive to be honest, quite a stressful experience when you first get in. You're queuing for hours to get your keys and then when you do go into your chalet, more than likely it is going to be dirty."
He added, "We kind of expected that to be honest so we bought our own cleaning stuff, came prepared, cleaned it - only took an hour so it's not the end of the world."
Plenty of people disagree with the complaints, though. We spoke to a visitor there who said, "It's definitely been disinfected you can smell it."
Meanwhile another said, "It's a one star. You get what you pay for, I suppose. It's nothing special, but what more do you want? We're used to camping so it doesn't make a difference, does it."
ITV News has contacted Pontins for a response. An inquiry into the air duct collapse, which injured 18 people, continues.
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