A worried father has called for urgent safety improvements to be made at Pontins holiday park in Brean after he claims a bare electrical cable in his family’s room put his toddler’s life in danger.
Niall Crispin stayed at the Pontins Brean Sands site with his wife, Lorraine, and their two-year-old son Finbar in October, spending £39 on the holiday.
However, instead of enjoying a pleasant seaside break, the family, who are from Swansea, say they experienced filthy accommodation, broken appliances and poor quality food. But by far the most serious issue was the room’s broken towel rail, they say.
“My wife was taking a shower and my son was playing on the bathroom floor,” says Niall.
“I noticed the towel rail was turned on and completely unprotected; there was a live 240V feed into it which was exposed in a room with my two-year-old child in it.”
“All the sections that should be covered by the black protector were exposed and you could see a bare electrical cable. It looked like it had been that way for a while.”
“The on-site electrician confirmed it was live and when asked confirmed it would have killed my child instantly if he touched it.”
Not willing to spend another night at Pontins, the family checked in to a local hotel.
“There were large sections of dirt and grime in every corner of the room,” he said, “black spore mould on the curtains, graffiti on the door frames, damaged furniture, holes and damage to the walls.”
“It’s not on. Hardworking people who can’t afford other holidays shouldn’t have to put up with that. The very least you should have is somewhere safe and clean.”
Niall says he has received no response in trying to get Pontins to investigate, and has had emails and phone calls ignored.
Burnham-On-Sea.com invited Pontins and Britannia Hotels to comment on the issues, but we have received no response.
It is over five years since Britannia took over Pontins. The condition and cleanliness of Brean Pontins was the focus of BBC1’s Watchdog show in 2011.
