A Pontins park filled with the noise of family fun is now left a haunted ghost-town after closing its doors two years ago.
The site in Southport now stands frozen in time with rooms left just as they were and the bright primary colours of the children’s slide fading to pastel.
In a sudden and shock closure, the Pontins park became desolate, with empty apartments abandoned by the chain.
To this day, the site has not been filled or used for anything else. With no work done to remove decorations or clear the area, it appears like a small town abandoned in an apocalyptic panic.
The only signs of life are the sad neon yellow signs reflecting into the puddles beneath them. Haunting outdoor play areas remain, with unused picnic tables and swings rocking in the wind.
Urban explorer, Matt, who goes by Exploring with Matt, discovered the scene before sharing it with his social media followers.
Matt said: “On the Southport Pontins site I’d saw that it closed online and I just happened to be in the area, so I checked it out along with my best mate No Limits Urbex, a great guy.”
Matt described the Pontins spot as a place where “time had stood still,” with the holiday flats intact, complete with kitchen appliances, tables and beds all still in place.
Matt said: “I find places to go by looking at online websites dedicated to abandoned buildings and there is a huge online urban explorers community.
“For me, I am just so interested in buildings with a lot of history, such as old theatres, hospitals or abandoned colleges or high schools. They are like time capsules. It is so fascinating to me.”
Upon seeing the chilling video, fans posted about the Pontins Holiday Park’s demise online.
One said:”As a child we went here for our family holiday. It was the best, I have so many memories of Pontins, the bluecoats, donkey derby, the boating lake, miss Pontins competition, miss lovely legs competition, the goodnight children song, captain Croc, the party dances. Such a shame its closed.”
Another blamed the cost of living crisis and Liz Truss’ disastrous mini-budget on the closure. Many, like Pontin’s, were forced to close some of their facilities just to stay afloat.
At the time of the Southport closure, 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 company also closed its Pontins Prestatyn and Pontins Camber Sands parks in an effort to cut costs.