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Conditions at Pontins Brean Sands have been brought into question over the last week after a falling ceiling duct hurt 18 people.

Guests shared their horror stories of how last Wednesday evening's events unfolded with one mum recalling how her child thought she was going to die and how a mother's nine-year-old son had to rescue her mum from the rubble.

A disabled grandmother, who was crushed in the incident, was moved into intensive care after she underwent an operation for a broken hip and a crushed leg.

Devon and Somerset Fire Service confirmed 40 metres of structural ducting had collapsed in the roof of the Fun House.

(Image: Burnham-on-Sea Fire Station)

Somerset Live, as well as our sister titles, Bristol Live and Birmingham Live, have previously reported on the conditions of the holiday resort several times after customers contacted us with their experiences.

Here are seven experiences Pontins visitors have shared

"A glorified smack den" - disgusted family's damning verdict on Pontins

(Image: Cherie Lansley)

A family from South Wales stormed out of Pontins Brean Sands after being disgusted about the state of their accommodation.

Cherie Lansley, 28, arrived for a weekend stay with her two-year-old son, Carter-James Lansley and parents Eleanor and Paul Hughes.

But after checking into the Burnham-on-Sea resort, she said she discovered a filthy accommodation full of dirty sinks and bath, crumbs in between the sofa, growing mould and an unclean cooker.

Cherie Lansley said: "We checked in, got to the room to be greeted with the dirtiest, grubbiest place I have ever seen.

"The sky light was thick with dirt, the cooker with grease, crumbs and sand all on the settee, dirty taps and bath, the list is endless."

(Image: Cherie Lansley)

The 28-year-old mother complained about the unclean state of her holiday place and was promptly moved to another room. Here she was met with the same problems.

"We then complained and got moved to another room that was in the exact same state so back we went again, to be moved to what was classed as 'newly refurbished' on what I could only describe as a glorified smack den.

"At this point it was getting late and was too late to drive back with my boy so we stayed, which we then discovered damp and mould behind the beds, cooker knobs thick with grease and when we moved the telly there was thick dirt and chips there.

"We even bought our own cleaning products to try and make the best of a bad situation."

(Image: Cherie Lansley)

The untidy and filthy state of her accommodation meant she and her family could not use any of Pontins' facilities and instead went off-site for the day.

Shortly after, she travelled home to South Wales 36 hours after arriving and disappointed with her short stay at the Brean site.

Family ends Pontins holiday early after 'hideous' experience with 'filthy' rooms

A family ended their holiday two days early after a "hideous" experience that required them to "put up with far worse than anyone taking a holiday should be subjected to".

Darren Caswell and his family checked into Pontins Brean Sands for a four-night stay with low expectations, after a previous holiday to the resort fell short of expectations.

Giving the resort one last chance to impress, Darren said his family checked into apartment 606 and were pleasantly surprised by the first impression.

However, upon closer inspection, he said it appeared the apartment hadn't been cleaned since its previous visitors.

Darren said: "We cleaned the apartment ourselves, having brought things with us based on our previous experience and made the apartment liveable so that at least after a long day our two young children would have somewhere to sleep, despite the infestation of mould in almost all of the rooms."

The apartment was also reportedly missing fittings and fixtures - the refrigerator had no shelves, the toilet paper holder was broken in the bathroom and a drawer was missing from one of the workspaces.

Darren said: "We made plans for the days ahead that would mean that, other than somewhere to sleep, we’d have to spend as little time as possible in the apartment or even on the site."

But when the family returned to the apartment late on Tuesday afternoon, Darren said ants and flying ants were scattered about the floor and climbing up the windows.

He added: "Further investigation suggested this was not the first evidence of this problem, as there were dead insect carcasses splattered on the walls and windows already."

The family also questioned the security of the facility.

Darren claims his family also witnessed people who appeared to be "smoking weed" while parked in one of the car parks as well as "guests racing around the site in high performance cars, making a thunderous noise with total disregard for anyone’s safety."

He added: "In hindsight, I probably should have called the police but was more interested in getting the children to bed and away from what was going on around us and we knew we were leaving the next day."

The following morning, Darren said his family checked out early, "two nights ahead of schedule having had to put up with far worse than anyone taking a holiday should be subjected to".

While Darren filled out a complaint form with a member of staff, his wife took their child to the toilet in the lobby.

Darren said: "She wasn't in the toilet long before she joined me at the desk to let the lady I was talking to know that a cleaner was needed in the ladies toilet, as there was a used feminine hygiene product on the floor of the cubicle and poo smeared on the cubical wall."

The family says they have now struck the resort off, after two unforgivable experiences.

"It's a health hazard, should be shut down!"

(Image: Charlotte Pritchard)

What could have been an exciting time for a mother and daughter turned into the holiday from hell.

Charlotte Pritchard, from South Wales, stayed with her daughter, Erin, at the holiday resort as her daughter was competing at the venue's UDO British Street Dance Championship.

Ms Pritchard spent £500 for a three-night stay at the Brean accommodation, starting on Friday (March 15), but work commitments meant she was unable to arrive until Saturday afternoon (March 16).

The mother-of-two stated she immediately encountered problems when she checked in at the reception.

"It appeared to be majorly understaffed and I waited 20 minutes to check in, it got to the point where I was actually ringing them to advise them I was at reception."

Things got worse, she claimed, when Charlotte entered her "awful" room.

Her "dirty and damp chalet" contained mouldy curtains, broken lights and television set and dirty furniture, meaning she had to clean her own room.

"Other people said that their cookers and showers didn't work. Had to pay electric on top of the cost also", she claimed.

"I'm pretty sure I left the room cleaner than I found it."

Ms Pritchard took photographs which she claimed showed the dirt collected on anti-bacterial wipes from cleaning the room's surfaces and the microwave.

She and her daughter left the resort ahead of schedule on Sunday afternoon (March 17), soon after her daughter finished competing.

Charlotte said: "I just couldn't wait to get away to be honest and I only arrived Saturday and left Sunday once my daughter had competed.

"By the sounds of it nothing has altered inside the chalets since the 80s.

(Image: Charlotte Pritchard)

"I get that it's going to be basic, but the dirt and mould were unacceptable."

Charlotte, who has requested a refund, gave the holiday resort a one-star rating on TripAdvisor.

Her damning review concluded with: "It's heart breaking to know people have spent their hard earned cash booking family holidays to this place.

"It's a health hazard, should be shut down!"

Pontins slammed as 'unfit for human habitation' by Birmingham family after 'horrendous' stay

A family endured a "horrendous" stay at Brean Sands involving bogeys, mould, dirt and exposed wires in their room.

Mark Hastings, 55, had been mortified when he was welcomed to the Pontins resort of Brean Sands, near Weston-Super-Mare , by what he claims were rude staff.

But things got worse when Mark, from Birmingham, went on to discover flooded floorboards and accommodation he argued was "unfit for human habitation".

After travelling more than 150 miles down to the holiday park with his family, including three people with disabilities and a three-month-old baby, was hoping to celebrate the New Year in relaxing surroundings.

Mark told Birmingham Live of his horror as he and his family arrived.

He said: "When we got to the chalets we opened them up and it was as though somebody had just punched me in the stomach and winded me.

"I looked at it and thought 'oh my god, where have we come to?"

In the chalets, the family claim to have found a rust-covered oven, a bath plughole blocked with hair, puddles of water all over the floorboards, a fridge which caused their drinks to freeze and explode, as well as mould and exposed wires on the bathroom heater.

"There were puddles of water on the floor, which we had to mop up ourselves. It was so cold in there, as soon as we put the heating on the condensation left pools of water everywhere.

"We found somebody's medication on the floor, we found a booking slip of a Welsh couple who had used it over Halloween - so clearly it hadn't been cleaned since then.

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"There was broken glass on the floor, ripped lino on the floor and a bath plug hole jam-packed with human hair.

"Cleaners said they'd send a cleaner up, who arrived and said their hours had been cut and all the chalets were the same.

"My daughter-in-law had to scrape off bogeys off the side of the bed. The fridge froze everything, the drinks we had exploded in the fridge.

"The cooker was so rusty we didn't even think of cooking anything in there."

Mark explained how due to the paths being blocked by parked cars, his wife, who relies on a mobility scooter, had to be carried to the chalet.

The family had complained as soon as they saw the state of the chalets, but had to join a huge queue of complaining guests in the resort's reception, Mark claimed.

"We were told by a rude lady at the counter 'it's up to you, you can leave right now, but there's no guarantee of a refund,'" he said.

Mark complained about the condition of the chalets everyday they were there - from December 30th - January 2.

"We complained every single day. It would have never have passed health and safety.

"It wasn't fit for any human habitation. I'd be ashamed to have put anyone in there."

The family paid £500 for their three-night stay which Pontins refused to refund.

Mark explained: "It's not about compensation for me, it's about that its dangerous and I don't want them to do it to other people."

Dead flies and dirty floors found in 'revolting' apartment

(Image: Tressa Robinson)

A family-of-four visited Pontins for a holiday away before the father was due to return to the Royal Navy.

But the experience was marred by grubby floors, dead flies, spiders and a rusty hob.

Tressa Robinson, her husband Michael and two daughters were booked in for a three-night stay, costing £188.

The mother-of-two said she immediately encountered problems as her family approached her holiday accommodation.

She added wouldn't get get a refund because she left before Pontins could resolve her complaints.

Pontins previously said her complaint was being investigated but her experience does "not reflect the quality" of the resort at Brean.

(Image: Tressa Robinson)

Mrs Robinson, from Cornwall, said: "On arrival, first impressions were not good – a tired looking site with groups of people swigging alcohol – in our opinion, this does not represent a family-friendly environment and can be quite intimidating.

"We arrived at our apartment to be greeted to cigarette butt ends all over the path to the front door."

She said her apartment was "revolting" with grubby floors, dead flies, spiders, unclean surfaces, coffee stained tables and a rusty hob.

The fridge had the remains of a meal inside it, she said.

"On entering the apartment we saw that it was basic – we were not expecting the Ritz.

(Image: Tressa Robinson)

"However, we would expect some basic level of cleanliness – this unfortunately was not the case."

"The floors were filthy and had most definitely not seen a mop in some time.

"The kitchen area was revolting with dirt, grease and pieces of food over the surfaces, on the floor, on the hob and in the oven.

"There was, what looked like toilet roll hanging off one of the oven racks, which were brown in colour.

"Even the bedside units had tea/coffee stains and drips all over them and had obviously not been wiped over.

"In the bathroom the toilet roll holder was broken. The sink and bath tub were both dirty, covered in hairs and had dirty grouting.

“On entering the apartment we saw that it was basic – we were not expecting the Ritz – however, we would expect some basic level of cleanliness – this unfortunately was not the case” Tressa Robinson reflecting on the state of her accommodation

"There were cobwebs with dead flies and spiders in the corners above the shower/bath unit and the broken hand wash holder was covered in brown dirt.

"The best touch though was the nasal deposit that was smeared over the tiles."

They stayed for a night and tried a cooked breakfast the following day.

The food wasn't great either - she claimed to find hairs in the beans and a bone inside one of the sausages.

(Image: Tressa Robinson)

"After walking around the site, and trying to dodge the flooded pathways and boggy grass areas, we discovered that most of the facilities were shut and not in use", she said.

Mrs Robinson said she made the decision with her husband to leave the resort and promptly complained at the reception as she checked out.

The mother-of-two later took her complaint to the Guest Solutions department and while she was told her concerns would be investigated, she would not receive a refund.

A spokesperson for Pontins Brean Sands said: "We were very sorry to hear of Ms Robinson's experience and are grateful to her for bringing these issues to our attention.

"We are confident that her experiences do not reflect the quality of accommodation and facilities at Brean Sands and that, had she raised her concerns with us at the time, we would have been able to resolve them during her stay."

Customers complain about human faeces, blood-stained beds and rat infestations at Pontins in Somerset

Reporter discovers blood-stained beds, human faeces and rat infestations during 24-hour-day

(Image: Birmingham Live)

Pontins holiday park in Brean Sands is at the centre of the latest horror story, in a year that has already seen numerous reports of shocked guests experiencing their holiday from hell.

Pontins does aim to provide a cheap and cheerful holiday for the family, but conditions are the park are putting customers off.

Our colleagues at Birmingham Live sent a reporter to Brean Sands for a short stay to see if the horrific stories were accurate or exaggerated.

The stay included the reporter being given the wrong key to an apartment already being used, a strong smell of stale cigarettes in their room and another customer telling of 'human faeces' found on the bed sheets.

Despite claims of grease, dead bugs, rust, exposed wires and litter from previous guests, Pontins seemingly refuses to make improvements to the 'new' park.



But with stays starting at £139 for two nights in a small apartment - with electricity and activities not included and costing extra - families expect their room to at least be clean.

That's not what the Birmingham Live reporter found.

Photos showed bags of litter left on the floor in rooms and outside bins at the entrances to holiday apartments overflowing.

BELOW GALLERY: Images of the Birmingham reporter's holiday from hell

The reporter's stay also included what they described as a "chaotic" fire alarm evacuation.

Another customer spoke about finding "poo stains" on a duvet - which Pontins had supplied at a cost of £8.

While the hellish 24 hour stay also involved finding 'vomit' on a set of stairs and a loo seat with sharp, jagged edges.

Read the timeline below of the reporter's experience

Time Line 24 hours in Pontins 3.30pm: Popular destination with families The taxi driver tells me that Pontins Brean Sands is a popular camp with families. He questions whether I'm due to meet somebody there or whether there is a 'special event' on at the holiday park. 3.55pm - Surrounded by caravan parks Driving through it seems there are plenty of other options for holidaymakers wanting to enjoy Brean Sands beach.



The camp is surrounded by a number of caravan parks.



I arrive at Pontins Brean Sands, which is set back from a main road, in a taxi and give my details to security who hand me a form to fill out. 4pm - Musty smell in chaotic arcade As I opened the door to what I imagined was a quiet reception desk, I was immediately plunged into chaos. Dozens of arcade machines all ringing simultaneously, children racing around and a musty lingering smell like an old-fashioned pub. One staff member mans the entire reception and I join the queue of around seven families - all waiting to check-in to their rooms as key collection starts from 4pm. Teenagers lounge in tea cup rides clearly not designed for their age group. The arcade carpet is stained with filth and blobs of chewing-gum are trodden into the disgusting flooring at reception. 4.25pm - Friendly staff I'm aware that many guests have complained of rude staff at this holiday camp, however this young receptionist is polite and friendly enough - calling me 'babes' and handing me a map with the route to my apartment.

She also explains how I'll have to put at least £5 of electricity into the meter on top of the £139 I paid for two nights in a one-bed apartment. There is no Wifi apart from in the main building, I discover. I was directed to the "fun factory" to find out what entertainment the night had in store for me. Surprisingly, it seems quite an extensive list, despite previous complaints from families there is "nothing for the kids".



Though judging by the week's schedule, the entertainment is largely the same every night, with a Pontins character kicking off the evening, different Blue Coats performing and a disco to finish. 4.40pm - Cigarette butts and litter Walking through the holiday park to my allocated apartment and I realise the reception isn't the only filthy area. Cigarette butts and rubbish is dumped all over the park - especially near the benches outside the main entrance.



En route to my accommodation, I passed a neglected skate park, a strangely quiet adventure play area and a Nisa Local.



The grassy areas around the play parks - dotted within the accommodation - were littered with discarded cigarettes as well. 4.45pm - 'Sick' on the steps I'm first greeted to my apartment block with the sight of what appears to be someone's vomit. I try to dodge this as I haul my suitcase up the steps.

But nothing could prepare me for what I was about to experience. 4.46pm - Horrifying scenes at my apartment A full to the brim bin, burnt trodden-in popcorn and two damp towels - one strewn across the filthy corridor floor and another hung up on the rail.



There was a empty crate of beer abandoned and a mug full of cigarettes and ash dumped on the floor outside too.



And this was just the exterior of my allocated apartment.



I was horrified but despite everything I've heard about Pontins, I thought surely this can't be right. But from the window I thought someone had genuinely left my room in this state, so I double checked the door - number 60. And double checked my documents - number 60. 4.48pm - Spare key to somebody's apartment To my surprise the key worked, but as I tried to enter, a rubbish bag full of half-eaten food and cans erupted and spilled out - blocking the entrance.



A blast of stale cigarette smoke hit me and I begged internally to escape this hell.



Inside, soiled underwear appeared stuck to the floor, sausages in thick grease on the oven and a bowl of what I can only describe as green slime.



I spotted a mobile phone and pairs of shoes and realised Pontins staff had made a very worrying mistake. 4.54pm - Displeased neighbour The guest next door tells me the people in number 60 have been staying there for days and have just popped out for the day.



It begs the question, why was there apartment all set for me to check-in? Never-the-less, the neighbour doesn’t seem surprised and tells me lots of families have had problems.



"They’ve lost the plot running this place", she says as she explains how her room had no running water and a broken TV. She adds that her fire alarm keeps going off too. 5pm - Room mix-up not 'uncommon' When complaining to reception about my apartment, the formerly chirpy lady now seems inconvenienced and replies "agh okay" before calling the manager.



She explains that there is two sets of keys and suggests the family should have checked out.



"What may have happened was they were meant to have booked out but obviously the system hasn't updated that they've booked an extra night or something like that.



"It don't happen too often. It's just that cross over - it has happened before though." She is unapologetic for the inconvenience caused, as is the manager - who says somebody had gone into a room they shouldn't have been in.

He claims he was off to find out who they were and sort the situation. 5.10pm - New apartment damp and reeks of smoke I get my keys to the new apartment no 61 and it is relatively clean save for the broken toilet seat with the sharp edges. The harsh smell of smoke makes me choke slightly as I enter and there's dripping damp all over the ceiling too.



A bucket has been placed underneath to collect the condensation. Small yellow blobs stick to the inside of the bath, though I'm unsure what these are. 5.31pm - Faulty smoke alarms sounding The smoke alarm has randomly started ringing and refuses to stop even though there is no smoke present. There's no way to turn it off and fifteen minutes later it is still sounding. I think it is time to get out of the room. But as I leave, I realise it is the whole block and guests are furious. They say it has been going off constantly all week in the entire block every time anyone tries to cook for their children.



They claim Pontins staff have not done "anything" to resolve the situation. 5.45pm - Furious guest says 'never again' Reacting to the fire alarm issue, a guest staying in my block says "it's the first time I've ever been here and the last time too."



Another guest says there was no water to bath his children and he entered the apartment to find other people's food still in the fridge. 6pm - Hidden costs Dozens of families have flocked to the "fun factory" as the evening entertainment kick starts with a paparazzi session with Chuckles the monkey. The bluecoats are admittedly very enthusiastic and seem to excite the children.



There are huge queues of families waiting to see the favourable monkey mascot, but these extras for the kids all cost more money.



It costs £5 for the children to have a photo with the monkey while outdated cheesy 80s music plays in the background. 6.30pm - Litter-plagued leisure area There is litter everywhere and young kids are running around without a parent nearby.



Towards the rear there’s an 'inflatable zone' consisting of just two pieces of equipment, but the kids seem to be enjoying it. In the leisure zone there seems to be plenty to do, with go karting, paddle karts, a play area with swings, an 'urban gym', a skate park, trampolining and the pool.

However, all of which is outdated and will cost more money in the form of tokens purchased from the leisure centre. 7pm - Pleasant beach nearby Brean Sands is just a three minute walk and is perhaps one of the few selling points for the camp.



The long stretch of beach is soft and clean, perfect for young children staying in the nearby Pontins. 7.20pm - Buffet on dirty plates The evening meal at the Queen Victoria pub for those who opt for self-catering is £8.95 and consists of some salad, grated cheese, 'vegetable pie', cod fish cake and chips.



There's also some sliced potato with 'mince-meat' underneath.



Some of the plates have spots of food from previous meals clinging on and the food smells are a bit overwhelming.



There's food squashed into carpet and on the floor and the dessert fridges are a mess.



I force a little bit of food down but it is largely tasteless just like the squash which misleadingly brands itself as "100% juice." 7.35pm - Dirty fridges Dirty fridges full of bashed up bits of cake is the offer for dessert.



Crumbs of pudding spill out from the fridges and onto the floor - ready to get squashed like everything else on the food hall floor.



Though admittedly what was left of the pudding was surprisingly tasty. 8pm - Bluecoat entertainers The "fun factory" is packed out with hundreds of parents, young babies, toddlers and even teenagers.



The blue coat entertainers are up on stage and encouraging the kids and parents alike to be silly - including dancing around like various animals and being soaked with a water gun.



Chuckles the monkey comes out on stage and pantomime style jokes are made, leaving the children in fits of giggles.



Everyone seems to be having a great time - especially the children. 8.30pm - Staff selling toys During the performance, Pontins staff try to squeeze more money out of the guests by offering light up batons to the kids for a set price. There is also a shop at the front selling Pontins branded toys and another store at the side of the main hall. 9pm - Non-stop evening entertainment The entertainment is non-stop and as soon as 'party time with Chuckles' ends, the children are up on their feet once more dancing to classic school disco songs.



The jam-packed line up is great to see and clearly has most people enjoying themselves. 9.15pm - Scantily-clad dancers as children watch With the children still present, the parents continue to drink and the adult entertainment begins.



Female dancers in crop tops dance around the stage and sing loud rock songs in the 'I wanna rock' show.



As the concert gets underway, the Blue Coats dance seductively as rows of children sit looking up at them. 9.35pm - Bouncers on patrol There are four bouncers currently manning the bar area and entrance for the "fun factory". 9.45pm - Young children play while parents drink Children as young as around six play on the parks outside the apartment blocks with no parental supervision in the pitch black as adults continue to drink inside the main hall. 10.30pm - Chaos as fire alarm clears hall Families cling onto each other and ask whether they have all their belongings as they are evacuated from the building.



All the while the children are screaming about their abandoned slush puppies and toys.



Everyone is told to move away from the building after what seemed like a serious fire.

However, it is believed a drunken guest had smashed the fire alarm. 11pm - Doors banging, kids screaming As I try to sleep, the bass from the main hall can be heard among children screaming and doors slamming shut.



I've brought my own sleeping bag after hearing horror stories of blood-stained mattresses and filthy linen.



Every breath I take I am inhaling more and more of the lingering second-hand smoke which clings to the walls, furniture and very atmosphere of the musty apartment. 3am - Parents squabbling with children I was awoken to the sound of what I thought was a fight kicking off outside my apartment.



As I looked out into the corridor, parents were arguing loudly with their children in the doorway to their room.



The row lasted around an hour before they eventually returned to their rooms. 4.10am - Screaming girl The sleepless night in hell continues as I'm woken by the short sharp scream of a young girl.



It seems to have come from near the squabbling, restless family - who to my annoyance refuse to sleep. 8.45am - Average breakfast The Queen Victoria is fairly quiet and there seems to be no staff in sight.



It is a buffet again, which is all the camp offers in terms of cooked food. Segments of oranges, a fruit cocktail, toast, cereal or the main fry up in silver trays are the options available.



But the sausages are spotted with transparent blobs of fat which are chewy to eat. Nothing tastes fresh, and it is fairly average as breakfasts go. 9.20am - No fresh food at on-site supermarket Strangely, the on-site supermarket Nisa Local is completely void of any fresh produce.



There are no vegetables, fruit or anything for people who are self-catered or wanting to cook something fresh for their children.



Though of course there's plenty of toys, stacks of alcohol, tinned food, microwave meals and rows and rows of cake, sweets and chocolates. 10.15am - Huge queues for swimming pool Around 50 families are queuing for the swimming pool and have been for more than an hour with their children in just swimwear and a towel.



One frustrated child - who clearly doesn't understand time yet - says "why are they not open yet, it's stupid."



The families are forced to wait a total of an hour and a half to be let into the swimming pool for their turn.



The long wait was due to no lifeguards being present at the pool. 10.30am - Rammed pool The pool is rammed full of parents and children - each with around two square metres to swim and play and yet more are piling in.



It has a capacity of 120 people, which is far too many for the size of the pool, in my opinion.



The much-anticipated Flume feature of the pool is out of action due to a "technical fault". 11.30am - Child cuts foot on broken pool tile A young child is hopping around in her swimming costume and towel with toilet paper wrapped round a bloody foot.



Her father claims she had cut her foot on a broken, loose tile at the bottom of the pool.



In images it appears many of the tiles on the bottom of the pool are either dirty or missing. 11.45am - 'Faeces' smothered on duvet I speak to another unhappy guest who is disgusted by his experience at Pontins.



He shows me images of what he claims are human faeces on a duvet supplied by Pontins for a sum of £8. Their mattress, he reports, also had smears of poo all over it.



The family, who have come from Cardiff, claim they waited from 4pm until 11pm at night for clean bed linen for their children to finally go to sleep in.



He says 99.9 per cent of people are unhappy here and have complained too. 12pm - Claims of mice and second pool injury Another family, living at the other side of the park in the chalets, claim mice have chewed through the furniture in their room.



While a third family say their child lifted one of the loose tiles above his head in the swimming pool after cutting his foot on it. 1pm - "Haven is the Ritz compared to this" A pair of unhappy mums - who brought their kids down together - explain how they had bought bleach to clean their chalet themselves.



"We got bleach flash, wipes, everything to clean as the smell was like rot, damp, festering bodies.



"We had a conversation last night saying overall there's plenty for the children to do, entertainment's fine, but the smell of cigarettes was disgusting.



"We've stayed in a lot of holiday parks, Butlins, Haven and this is the worst. Haven is like the Ritz compared to this." 2pm - Same activities, different day On the surface, there seems to be plenty of activities for the children and the whole family in the day time including Curling, Cine Racing, a Disco Bingo and photo opportunities with Pontins characters.



However, when dissected this is nearly exactly the same as yesterday's daytime entertainment. And most of which needs to be paid for on-top of the accommodation price.



When speaking with families at the end of my stay, many say there is not much to do for the kids in the day - and "every day is the same". 3.30pm - Time to leave I've seen and heard enough and while clearly there is demand for this sort of 'budget' holiday park, Pontins Brean Sands is in dire need of improvement.



It is outdated, filthy and the complaints don't seem to be taken seriously.



There are clear health and safety breaches and the entire park is full of litter and dirt. While there seems to be plenty to do in the evening until late, many guests believe their kids are stumped for things to do in the daytime.



Pontins also claims to be affordable, yet there are many other extras piled on top of the basic room rate including tokens for everything on site, added events, any additional food and electricity.



Though the children do seem to be enjoying themselves, it is a shame for the parents who have to endure this filthy, hellish holiday park.

Birmingham Live contacted Pontins for comment on their reporter's experience.

'It should be knocked down' - disgusted family's verdict on Pontins

A cheap but cheerful getaway for a family turned into a forgettable holiday experience after the discovery of dead flies, mould and thick grease in their accomadation.

Iain Bate, 34 and his fiancée Zoe Griffin, 31, say they were due to spend a long weekend down at Pontins' Brean Sands resort with their three-year old toddler, Evan.

But they claim to have cut the break short after being unhappy with the cleanliness of their apartment including dead bugs dried into the wall above the shower.

They took photos of the conditions they claim to have discovered including a broken smoke alarm and loose-fitting cabinets, Birmingham Live reports.

The family claim they left the apartment less than 24 hours after arriving.

In a complaint to Pontins, Iain requested a full refund from Pontins after spending a further £140 for alternative accommodation in Weston-super-Mare.

Iain added: "We were really looking forward to going away as a family and our holiday was ruined by the state of the park and accommodation.

"I believe the whole place needs to be knocked down and fully refurbished."

In a letter responding to the family's complaint, Pontins apologised and on investigating the claims, admitted the guesthouse did not meet Pontin's standards.

A 'complaints handler' wrote: "We were very sorry to learn of the problems you encountered with the accommodation you were allocated and we have noted all the points you have raised.

"It is our intention that all accommodation is fully prepared for incoming guests and that no problems will be encountered. In the circumstances we can now only offer our sincere apologies that this was not the case.

"Pontins continues to invest heavily in the refurbishment of our accommodation and facilities in order to bring them up to the expected standards, and resources are also invested in the staff training programme in order to enhance guest care."

The letter continues to state that in response to feedback from its guests, Pontins has invested in new mattresses, cookers and electrical equipment that are being rolled out across the parks.

"I have investigated your complaint and can see your stay did not meet our expectations," Stephen wrote.

The family accepted £99 as a goodwill gesture for the nights they didn't stay at the apartment.

A spokesperson for Pontins added: "We were disappointed to hear of Mr Bate and his fiancée's experience at our Brean Sands site.

"We take comments like these seriously and are in touch with the customers to try to resolve them."

Have you got an experience at Pontins Brean Sands to share? Do you have a Bridgwater, Taunton or West Somerset story to share? Get in touch: michael.taylor@reachplc.com, tweet @JournoMikeT or call 01935 709742.

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