Stunned Pontins staff only learned two sites were closing through Facebook post

01 December 2023 , 21:13

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Pontins holiday camp which was hit by closures (Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Pontins staff learned of the closure of two of their holiday parks on social media, at the same time as the general public.

They spotted the news on Facebook almost two hours before the company officially informed them. The Official Pontins Holidays Facebook page released a statement on Thursday afternoon at about 4 pm to let customers know it would be shutting its Prestatyn and Camber Sands locations "with immediate effect", but provided no reason.

A Camber Sands worker claims around two hours after the Facebook post, they received a letter emailed from HR officially informing them, but at that point news of the closures was already "viral." The worker explained that between 10-15 permanent workers at Camber Sands are being placed in a redundancy consultation period. But the staff member said between 30-40 other Camber Sands workers have been given a letter saying "your services are no longer required."

Prestatyn Pontins which was hit by the closures (Ian Cooper/North Wales Live)

The worker told the Mail many of these people live on site but were been given just a few hours to pack up their belongings and leave, just weeks before Christmas. They said that yesterday's announcement came just weeks after managers at the East Sussex location were informed in a meeting there would be a £5million refurbishment of their site.

The post read: "Important announcement. We regret to inform you that our parks in Prestatyn and Camber Sands will be closing with immediate effect. Customers whose bookings will be affected by these closures will be contacted by our team and refunded. We apologise for any inconvenience caused." Pontins is owned by Britannia Hotels which was named the UK's worst hotel chain for the 11th consecutive year earlier this year. The company recorded record profits earlier this year but has yet again come bottom in the Which? rankings with a score of just 48%. It received a one-star rating for bedrooms, bathrooms and wi-fi quality.

Popular Pontins resort visited by thousands annually to shut for next 3 years

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The chain scored no higher than two stars in any of the remaining categories including cleanliness, reports the Liverpool Echo. Dozens of people took to the comments section to ask why the destinations would be closing and if it would be "forever". One commenter said: "I had a feeling this was going to happen. Sad times." Another asked: "Is this temporary or for good?" A third added: "No explanation??"

Rachel Hagan