A mum of two said her five-day family trip became a "holiday from hell" after they arrived at a "vile" resort.
Maria Devoy, 42, took her kids, 12 and 10, along with mum Pamela, 62, away for a break to Pontins Prestatyn late last month. The family, from Wallasey, had booked a place at the popular resort for five days, yet upon arrival Maria was shocked by the "vile" conditions of the holiday park and the rooms they were given.
Maria said as soon as the family arrived they realised the sorry state of the resort. She described how her room was full of mould, with "smashed off" fire alarms, a fridge "yellow with stains," and nowhere to get food as the two restaurants that had been advertised were "non-existent."
READ MORE: Teenager was racially abused and chased before he stabbed two men in city centre
Maria, whose mum Pamela had funded the five-day, £430 trip, told the ECHO: "We really enjoy swimming, so that was the main reason we were going. But when we got there the pool was shut, then once we saw that everything else just began to pile on top of it, but that's even without mentioning the room.
"It was vile. I didn't expect much from Pontins - it's just one of those isn't it, it's just where everyone goes - but it was minging.
"The windows wouldn't open, the fire alarms were smashed off the ceiling, the curtains had mould right the way up them, inside and out, and we couldn't even see out the windows.
"There was a massive hole underneath the sink that was full of rubbish. The fridge was bright yellow with stains."
Maria also described how nan Pamela was forced to leave after just a single night as she couldn't access their second floor room due to an injury for which she is still waiting for surgery. She said: "We got put on the second floor, but my mum had an accident on Christmas eve and she's still waiting for an operation on her hip.
"When we tried to get into our accommodation, I [told the staff] mum can't get up the stairs and they said you're going to have to deal with it because there's no other option. I told them that she really can't get up the stairs, she can barely walk and I'm on my own with the kids, I can't carry her up the stairs like that.
"I told them I might be able to get her up the stairs tonight, but how's she going to get back down. How's she going to get in and out multiple times a day?"
"I was just thinking about my mum the whole time that first night, thinking about how are we going to manage. But with the staff it was just one of those where you can tell you're going to get nowhere so you just bite your tongue.
"There was just no compromise whatsoever so my mum had to come home after that first night. The remaining nights were horrendous. The two restaurants they advertised were non-existent.
"The shop on site doesn't sell food it sells souvenirs. People were ordering takeaways to the main gate it was that bad, and the vending machines were all empty, not that any were switched on anyway."
Maria said her children were also disappointed by the stay, particularly as every game in the arcade was turned off. The mum of two called the whole experience a "holiday from hell."
Maria said she ended the holiday a day early, on the fourth day of five, due to the ordeal. She said when she contacted Pontins after their stay she was offered a 30% discount in apology to use their next stay at the resort.
Maria said she would not be taking them up on that offer.
The ECHO has approached Pontins for comment.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article claimed Maria Devoy and her family are "from Birkenhead," this mistake has since been corrected.
Receive our three MyWirral newsletters and breaking news email alerts by signing up here.
READ NEXT:
Olivia Pratt-Korbel's killer is 'top level' gangland thug being 'protected' say detectives
Murderer emotionless as he's jailed for 22 years for killing dad
Headteacher asked more than 100 boys for naked pictures in sick Facebook chats
Boy, 15, dies after being 'pinned down and stabbed' outside school
'Caring' woman, 23, dies after falling from nightclub fire escape
