The boss of the business which owns Pontins refused to apologise to staff who claim they have been laid off from it's Southport resort without notice.
Pontins has been part of Southport’s offering as a seaside destination for more than 50 years. Its sudden closure earlier this week has further reduced what was once an enormous empire of holiday resorts across the UK.
The Southport venue closed without notice on Wednesday, 6 January. Pontins' owner Britannia Hotels, which bought the business in 2011, said the decision was made after “assessing the future viability” of the park, which suffered damage in Storm Henk.
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Staff in Southport claimed they were "sacked over text", while customers with future bookings were told they will be fully refunded.
The site was Pontins' third holiday park to close in a matter of weeks, with resorts in Prestatyn, North Wales and Camber Sands in Sussex shutting without warning last November.
Yesterday, Alex Langsam, Britannia's CEO, refused to apologise to staff, who claim they have been laid off without notice, The Mirror reports. Mr Langsam was confronted at his 10-bedroom mansion in Cheshire. But when asked if he had anything to say to the workers who left in tears this week, he said: “It’s nothing to do with me, I am nothing to do with Pontins.”
Pontins had over 30 parks in its heyday but the firm lost customers – and its apostrophe – over the years and now just three sites remain.
One of them – Brean Sands in Somerset – is closed to holidaymakers and being used to house construction workers for the nearby Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. That just leaves Pontins Pakefield at Lowestoft, Suffolk, and Sand Bay at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.
Since it was founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin, generations have enjoyed the cheap breaks, complete with Miss Pontin pageants and “all-in wrestling” contests. The first camp opened on the site of a former US army base at Brean Sands, north of Burnham-on-Sea. Fred, who left school at 15, followed in the wake of Billy Butlin, who opened his first camp in 1936.
Its Southport resort opened in 1970, offering holidaymakers a boating lake, horse riding, colour TVs, wrestling and “slick cabaret acts”. Entertainers who started out as Bluecoats include Shane Richie, Brian Conley and Lee Mack. Southport-born Lee got his first comedy break at Pontins in Hemsby, Norfolk.
He said: “I got very drunk. My mate said to me to just copy the other comedians and steal their jokes.” Shane Richie started out as a teenager at Pontins on the Isle of Wight. He told the Big Issue: “I loved it – you did sketch shows, sang danced, called bingo and had a great time.”
Fred Pontin died in 2000 aged 93. The business went into administration in 2011 and was snapped up by Britannia for a reported £20million.
Mr Langsam claimed at the time: “We intend to build on those things that have appealed to generations of visitors: family entertainment, wholesale fun and exceptional value.” But one disgruntled customer said of Pontins Southport: “ Chernobyl is in a better condition.” Another described “one of the worst weekends ever,” with stained sheets and curtains and a rotten balcony.
Britannia, which also runs the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool city centre. has been named the UK’s worst hotel chain by consumer group Which? for the eleventh year running. Its Adelphi Hotel, once regarded as "the most luxurious hotel outside of London", has now been labelled a “blight” on the city. The ECHO has previously contacted Britannia Hotels for comment on various issues at the hotel and received no response.
This has not prevented the group making £33million profit in the year to March 2022.
Ami Phillips, owner of Rave Kidz, which ran family events at Southport Pontins, said: “Pontins is a bit of an institution. Without Pontins, a lot of families won’t get a holiday this year.”
People in Southport had mixed feelings about the closure. Angela Bush, 67, said: “It’s a sad day, there’s a lot of nostalgia. When you look at it, this is a pretty little beach and it could be great but they are just letting it rot.” Retired policeman Michael Keane, 72, said: “There was an opportunity a few years ago for them to go a bit more upmarket. It fell short of where it should have been, to be honest.”
Ainsdale Lynne Thompson, Liberal Democrat councillor for Ainsdale, said: “Everyone here regrets that a number of people have lost their jobs.” Meanwhile, Damien Moore, the Conservative MP for Southport, was criticised after labelling its closure “a fantastic opportunity”.
Various regeneration projects in the town are ongoing which could attract more holidaymakers to the area.
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