Southport Pontins: Holiday park announces sudden permanent closure - here's why

A holiday park in Southport has become the third Pontins site to close its doors after a viability assessment.

Once a popular choice for holiday makers, with dozens of sites around the country, Pontins closed two of its remaining six venues last year. Owned by Britannia Hotels, Pontins shut resorts in Prestatyn and Camber Sands in November.

The Southport destination had been shut on Tuesday due to flooding caused by Storm Henk, however, the permanent closure was announced the following day.

A spokesperson for Pontins said: "It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of Pontins Southport Holiday Park. After assessing the future viability of the park, we have come to the difficult decision to close our doors. Unfortunately, this means that Pontins Southport Holiday Park will be closing from Wednesday 3rd January 2024. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

The resort had received a number of complaints from customers in its final months, resulting in a rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars on Google. One customer described the venue as an 'awful place, tatty and bleak' and added that 'skeleton staff' were doing their best. However, others did comment that 'you get what you pay for'.

Last year, it was reported that the Home Office was considering housing asylum seekers in the Merseyside resort, as an alternative to hotels. However, the plans were scrapped with Sefton Council said to have raised a number of objections.