End of an era, Pontins fans cry as resort used in film is shut – but Home Office denies migrants will be housed there
PONTINS fans are heartbroken after the iconic holiday park used in much loved films shuts down for good.
Brits were saddened to hear the legendary location, featured in the movie Holiday On The Buses, will be saying goodbye forever.
The Pontins in Prestatyn, North Wales announced both sites would be closed, despite recent talks of using it to house asylum seekers.
Louise Hyatt, who owns nearby Marina Cafe in Camber, told BBC Radio Sussex the shut down would spark “a big effect on the whole village”.
“They [holidaymakers] walk along the beach and come up for a cup of tea or a hot chocolate even in the winter,” she added.
The cafe owner also stated her business would be affected, following hits they took in the summer months due to a parking issue.
“Before that we had Covid-19 and now we’ve got this coming so it’s not given us much of a chance really,” Louise continued.
It comes as the Home Office confirmed the two closed down sites, in Camber Sands, East Sussex, and Prestatyn, Denbighshire, would not be used to house asylum seekers.
Many parents said they were “heartbroken” by the closure news as others remembered happy moments on their holidays to Pontins.
One said: “My kids loved it there.”
As another Pontins lover said: “This is sad.. got some good memories here with the kiddies.”
Record label Tidy Trax had been planning to hold a “wet and wild weekender” at the Welsh site, and said it was “shocked and concerned” by the surprising update.
Pontins now have just three holiday parks left across the UK, but are still loved by thousands of kids and their parents.
Parks in Suffolk, Somerset and Ainsdale remain open to the public.
It comes after Pontins’ Brean Sands resort in Somerset was revealed to be closing down for three years to undergo a major refurbishment which will see upgrades to its 600 chalets and to its Wifi.
The site will be used as accommodation by workers at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in the meantime, as construction continues on a new nuclear power plant due to open by 2027.