Britannia Hotels, the owner of the Pontins brand, has closed another site, this time Southport, due to flooding caused by Storm Henk. In a statement released on its website, the firm confirmed that, after assessing the “future viability of the park, we have come to the difficult decision to close our doors”. Rave Kidz, which was due to hold a weekend event at the Southport location in February, has been informed of the closure and is now working to reschedule the event at another venue.
This is the third Pontins site to close within a matter of weeks, with the firm having closed Prestatyn and Brean Sands in November. Pontins once offered 30 holiday destinations, but numbers have fallen considerably, and just six sites remained at the time of the latest closures. Britannia Hotels took over the brand in 2011 and took control of the Southport, Prestatyn, Brean Sands, Camber Sands and Pakefield sites. In addition, Sand Bay near Weston-super-Mare was added to the portfolio later but left the brand in 1999.
Despite causing concern for those employed by the site, Damien Moore MP for Southport suggested the closure could be positive in the long term. He said: “Given its excellent location next to Ainsdale beach with suitable investment, it could offer a substantial economic boost to Ainsdale and the wider Southport area.” Meanwhile, Sefton Council, which owns the land occupied by the Southport premises, claimed they had not been notified about the sudden closure.
Reports that the sites could be used to house migrants are denied by the Home Office. Pontins faced criticism in 2021 over some holidaymakers alleging racism, with black and Irish guests accused of shirking social distancing rules while white guests were not challenged over the same issue. The Equality and Human Rights Commission said it was investigating the claims.
Anyone impacted by the Pontins closures is invited to share their experience by emailing ‘haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk’. Alternatively, they can contact the BBC’s social media channels for further support
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