Overnight caravan fire at Presthaven Caravan Park, Gronant, Prestatyn. (Image: Daily Post Wales)
Children were left ‘in tears’ and ‘having meltdowns’ after being turned away from a Haven park they had travelled to for a summer break.
The Presthaven beach resort in North Wales was forced to cancel booked holidays over the weekend due to a burst water main causing supply issues across Flintshire.
The venue reported a ‘major drop in water pressure’ on Friday (August 15) and due to the loss of water supply, main facilities in the park had to close. This also meant that holidaymakers and private lettings arrivals could not have their bookings honoured.
Haven has since apologised to affected customers.
In an update on Saturday, the park issued a further statement on social media saying that although work was being undertaken to fix the issue, its facilities were still unable to be reopened and that customers were being refunded for their booked stays, reports Manchester Evening News.
Kimberley Nolan had travelled with four children on the train from Little Hulton on Friday for a three-night summer break. She said that after arriving at the park, security staff were turning people away from the site.
She said children began ‘going into meltdown’ and were seen ‘in tears’ as families with their luggage were stood on the street and using their phones to try and find last minute alternative accommodation.
Haven has offered to reimburse the holiday costs (Image: Daily Post Wales)
As she departed her Salford residence, the holiday park posted an update on social media requesting visitors to bring their own water and announcing that dining establishments and beverage outlets, alongside the swimming pool, had been shut down, with only the shop remaining open ‘for essentials’.
It wasn’t until later that afternoon that additional communication was sent to impacted holidaymakers.
“We saw a post that there were water supply issues as we were leaving,” Kimberley told the M. E.N.
“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.
Kimberley Nolan had travelled with four children for a three-night summer break (Image: Kimberley Nolan)
“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.”
Kimberley maintains that whilst Haven has offered to reimburse the holiday costs for stays between August 15 and 18, she has also forked out more than £130 on train fares, alongside additional expenditure on snacks and drinks for the journey.
“We won’t get our holiday now,” she added. “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.”
The original statement published by the park on Friday morning, whilst Kimberley was making her way to the park with her children, stated: “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.”
Later that afternoon, an updated statement revealed that owing to water pressure problems, facilities had been forced to shut and holiday accommodations could not be maintained until the matter 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 stated. “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 revealed that staff members were being subjected to abuse from private guests, leading them to ‘have no choice but to let them on the park’ despite facilities being shut down.
A subsequent statement released on Saturday (August 16) stated: “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.
Coleen Rooney and sons Kai and Klay once stayed at Presthaven (Image: Daily Post Wales)
“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.”
On Sunday morning, it was announced that the park’s water supply had been fully restored and that the park would be completely operational again on Monday.
At 3pm on Sunday (August 17), Welsh Water issued a statement regarding the incident, confirming that the water supply had been restored to most of the properties affected by the burst water main and that the company was ‘working tirelessly’ to restore supplies to those still affected. Bottled water stations were also established in three areas until Monday.
A spokesperson for Haven said: “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).”
