Mouldy and damp walls, stained bathrooms, and broken doors - the Pontins site has long been a topic of frustration in the Ainsdale community.
Owned by Britannia Hotels - which was recently named the worst UK hotel chain for the tenth year in a row - Pontins has come under fire amid a string of horror stay stories. The ECHO has repeatedly reported on the slew of first hand accounts from revolted guests, including one woman who said her family holiday was ruined by "p****d up parents and drugs everywhere".
During an ongoing public consultation by Sefton Council, the seaside holiday park was labelled as the "biggest blight on Ainsdale" by Conservative MP for Southport Damien Moore. Mr Moore, who has been MP for the area since 2017, previously called Pontins' "constant bad publicity" damaging to Southport's standing.
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Despite this, Pontins welcomes thousands of budget holiday goers to its site each year. And as Southport relies on tourism and hospitality to account for "over 40% of its economy," according to Mr Moore, the holiday park is undeniably crucial for the financial success of the area.
But recent reports suggest the Southport holiday camp, along with its counterpart in Camber Sands, have been considered for a potential takeover from the Home Office. The ECHO understands the Home Office has approached Sefton Council regarding the use of the site, leaving the future of the park up in the air.
"I hope to god it doesn't close"
It's a Thursday afternoon in Ainsdale and the blue skies ensure the bars, cafes and sandwich shops that dominate the small high street have a steady flow of customers. At the top of Station Road, the primary shopping and social destination in the village, is Champs Sports Bar & Grill.
The hulking sports bar, which opens for 23 hours a day on Saturdays, juxtaposes the quaint, colourful shops in a neat row on the other side of the street. Inside a number of tables are occupied by a lunchtime crowd tucking into pub grub and pints.
"We get loads of people coming down from Pontins," explains manager Joseph Abbott. "Their trade is really important for us, especially in the summer. Pontins being so close is good for us. We're the only proper pub in the area - other drinking spots in Ainsdale are bars."
The 37-year-old manager, who moved to Ainsdale several years ago, says Champs gets a significant amount of trade from the 'Pontins Weekender' parties. "We're open from 10am so people will come down and have breakfast the morning after. We'll also have families come down. We've got a lot of space in here so if a family or group comes we can do tables of 10 or 20 people.
"We could do 50 covers from people coming down from Pontins. It would be a massive worry if Pontins closed. I hope to god it doesn't."
"Pontins is embarrassing"
Others in the village aren't so positive, however. One local woman, Anne, 59, who has lived in Ainsdale all her life, speaks to the ECHO close to the train station. "It does have a lot of events which I'm sure are bringing tourism to the area, so it probably would have a big impact if it was to close," she says.
"But it's an eyesore. They need to do something with it. You listen to what goes on there and you know it's not good. It's sad to see - the park has looked like that all my life. The area around it has been redeveloped but it's stayed like that. If the Home Office was going to take over the site, I would hope it would be developed - they need to do something with it."
Everyone in Ainsdale has an opinion on Pontins - and many of them are strongly worded. Several residents happily share opinions about the holiday park, but don't want to include their name as "Ainsdale is a place where everyone knows everyone". One man, who speaks on the promise of anonymity, declares the park "a horrible place".
"No money has ever been spent on it," he adds. "It's falling apart - no one should be allowed to stay in it. You ask anyone around Ainsdale and they'll all say the same thing - Pontins is embarrassing."
The ECHO has approached Britannia Hotels regarding the possible takeover of the holiday park. The ECHO asked for a comment regarding the ongoing discussions, as well as what the potential takeover would mean for those employed at the park. Britannia Hotels was also asked to comment on the impact the possible closure of the site could have on the economy in Southport. Britannia Hotels did not respond to requests for comment.
"I'm deeply worried by the rumours"
Despite his previous concern regarding the image the holiday park gives to the area, Mr Moore says he is "deeply worried by the rumours" that Pontins could be used as a potential location. "We are a town in which over 40% of our economy is built on tourism and hospitality, which we should be doing all we can to strengthen," the MP explained.
The Home Office did not confirm to the ECHO what the site would be used for, but the ECHO understands it could be used to house asylum seekers. Mr Moore said: "I strongly believe that for housing asylum seekers we should first look to other sites on the government-owned estate - office buildings, disused Ministry of Defence sites, and of course the Nightingale hospitals which were stood up in the pandemic, weren’t used, and could be stood up again for emergency asylum accommodation.
"At these types of sites, arrivals can be better supervised and more efficiently processed, in a way I think most people in the country would find to be fairer than using holiday parks." The Southport MP added: "I am continuing to speak with the government and with the prime minister's team, and I was reassured to the prime minister say in Parliament on Tuesday that they are looking at 'disused holiday parks', which of course would not include Pontins. I will continue to do all I can to stand up for my constituents in Southport."
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: "We can confirm that the Home Office have contacted us about the site and the council and partner agencies have asked for clarification on a number of substantive matters and we will be considering their responses in due course, but we remain very concerned by the Home Office proposals."
A Home Office spokesperson told the ECHO: "We continue to look at all available options to source appropriate and cost-effective temporary accommodation."
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