Butlin's trip turns into holiday from hell as whole family struck down with bug
A family were left “devastated” after their summer break ended up with the “worst sickness” they had ever experienced.
Paul Ditchburn blames Butlin’s in Skegness for failing to warn him or his family that some visitors on the site had been struck down with a bug. He is fuming that there has been “no apology” from the leisure company.
It is believed that the entire family of five contracted norovirus soon after arriving at the Butlin’s resort. There had been much excitement for the holiday from the family - which ended in disaster with his son vomiting 14 times.
'We are going to have to get an ambulance for him,' because he couldn't stop being sick," Paul explained. "Then I started being sick at 3am and my stepdaughter Lily [aged nine] started being sick around 5am.
"I rang Butlin's customer liaison as soon as they opened [on Wednesday] and said we needed housekeeping to give us some disinfectant. But I was promptly told over the phone that we needed to leave the site.
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Phoebe Ditchburn, 15, Ben Ditchburn 11, and Lily Ovington, nine, were buzzing for a trip to Butlin's (Paul Ditchburn)“I had to drive all the way from Skegness back to Durham on Wednesday (August 16) after being sick all night. They demanded that we left the site. It was a horrendous drive home because everyone was so tired," Paul told the Newcastle Chronicle.
Parkinson’s sufferer Paul said that when he checked in on August 14, with his fiancée Susan and their three children, they had not been warned that guests at the park were suffering from a sickness bug. It was suspected that it was the highly contagious norovirus. Butlin's has confirmed there have been "a small number of sickness incidents reported on the resort" in Skegness but said norovirus has not been confirmed.
The day after arriving, the family spent time in the pool and went on to have a meal in the onsite restaurant, but later that night Paul's 11-year-old son, Ben, became violently sick. After arriving back home, Susan, 47, and Paul's daughter Phoebe, 15, also became severely unwell with the suspected vomiting bug.
Paul has contacted Butlin's demanding a refund and said he was initially told he would receive just £700 back from his £3,000 break before staff said he could have a total refund of £1,888. He said he was angry that Butlin's did not inform him prior to their break or on arrival that some guests had fallen ill at the site and said that his Parkinson's meant he was already at an increased risk of other illnesses.
"We have had no apology," Paul said. "They have offered a partial refund of the days we missed of our holiday but no compensation. We have still got kids in the house poorly. I am still achy today. It is the worst sickness virus I have ever had. I am really angry about it and upset for the kids - it is a holiday that has been taken away from them. The kids were devastated. I wouldn't want anybody suffering the same as what we have. I wouldn't wish this on anybody. It has been horrendous."
Butlin's told the Chronicle they have apologised to the family over the phone but said that a norovirus outbreak at the Skegness site had not been confirmed. However, a Butlin's spokesman said there have been "a small number of sickness incidents reported on the resort" and as a result, they have "implemented enhanced cleaning measures."
These include assisted service in the buffet restaurants, increased cleaning, and more sanitiser stations around the resort. Butlin's said facilities such as the pool and fairground remain open as usual and have not closed at any point. Butlin's confirmed that it does ask guests to inform staff if they become unwell and said they would ask unwell guests to leave the resort - "but only if they are feeling well enough to do so."
A Butlin’s spokesman said: "We are sorry to hear the Ditchburn family were unwell during their recent stay. When the family notified us of their sickness, as is policy, we asked them to leave the resort if they felt well enough to do so. We have been in contact with the guest and processed their refund, which they've acknowledged.
"We’d like to reassure guests that we are seeing significantly less reports of sickness on the resort and are maintaining our enhanced measures to ensure levels stay minimal. We continue to work with the relevant authorities who are happy with the additional measures we have put in place."
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