'Mayhem' at UK holiday park with children 'having meltdown' as families are turned away

Children were left "in tears" after their families were refused entry at a Haven park to which they had travelled for a summer break. The heartbreaking incident occurred at the Presthaven beach resort in North Wales.

Kimberley Nolan travelled with four children on the train from Little Hulton on Friday for a three-night summer break. However, she was left surprised after she saw security staff turning people away from the site. The mother claimed that many youngsters began "going into meltdown" and were seen "in tears" as their families with their luggage stood on the street and used their phones to try and find a last-minute alternative accommodation.

She told Manchester Evening News: "We saw a post that there were water supply issues as we were leaving. There wasn't much pre-warning or strict advice not to travel, so we continued making our way there as it was our only chance for a summer break. We had to try for the sake of the kids.

"When we got there, there were security and Haven staff turning people away. We'd travelled all that way and were just told we couldn't stay for our holiday.

"We had nowhere to stay. We even went to the travel agents in Prestatyn and tried everywhere, other caravan parks, but we couldn't get in anywhere.

"There were so many upset kids who had been turned away. They were in tears. Some were having meltdowns. It was mayhem. Families all in the same boat stood with their bags trying to find somewhere but there was no availability.

"We were trying our best to make it into a holiday for the kids. All they wanted to do was go onto the beach and we had travelled all the way there."

The beach resort was reportedly forced to cancel all the bookings over the weekend as a Welsh Water burst main caused water supply issues to properties across Flintshire. According to the resort authorities, there was a "major drop in the water pressure" on Friday (August 15).

Main facilities in the park had to close as the water pressure reduced. Haven has apologised to affected customers. The initial statement posted by the park on Friday morning, when Ms Nolan was travelling to the park with her children, read: "Our food and beverage outlets and swimming pool are currently closed, the mini market is open for essentials. If you are travelling to park we are advising that you bring water with you."

In an update that afternoon, a statement added that due to water pressure issues, facilities had to close and that holiday lettings could not be supported until the incident was resolved.

"Due to the loss of water, and in line with health and safety regulations, all main facilities on park are currently closed," it read. "While owners are welcome to remain on park during this time, we're unfortunately unable to support holidaymaker or private lettings guest arrivals until the situation is resolved. Thank you for your patience and understanding and we'll share updates as soon as we have them."

The park later announced that members of the team were receiving abuse from private guests and that they had "no alternative but to let them on the park" despite facilities being closed. A further statement shared on Saturday (August 16) read: "We still have no water, although Welsh Water have confirmed the leak has been repaired, it will still take 48 hrs to replenish their systems and filter it out. We are unable to open any facilities until the water is fully restored.

"I would also like to sincerely thank you for your kind emails, messages, and generous offers of water and food during such a difficult time. As a team, we've been truly touched by your thoughtfulness and are deeply grateful for your support."

Ms Nolan said that while Haven has offered to reimburse the cost of the holiday for stays between August 15 and 18, she also spent more than £130 on train tickets, along with extra costs for snacks and drinks during the trip.

She continued: "We won't get our holiday now. We have to wait for the refund and it would mean saving up again for trains. They go back to school in a few weeks."

A spokesperson for Haven told Manchester Evening News: "As the result of a failure of a Welsh Water main, the Presthaven park and much of the surrounding area was left without water. We are extremely sorry that this meant we had to take the difficult decision to close the park to holiday makers on Friday. We really do appreciate just how disappointing this is to everyone who's had their holiday disrupted.

"Water has been restored today (Sunday) and we will be re-opening tomorrow (Monday)."

The Express has contacted Haven for a comment.