A tourist has decided to boycott a British seaside town after getting stuck there.
Pete Bishop said he may never return to Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, after a "disgusting" experience battling to leave.
The beachgoer, from Derbyshire, was visiting the area on a day out with his partner when their train home was cancelled.
To make matters worse, the following two trains were cancelled which meant the couple had to hang around for three hours waiting to leave.
In turn, they missed their connecting train and had to fork out for a taxi to get home.
Pete described the train station as a "refugee camp" with hundreds of passengers waiting on the platform for hours with continual cancellations, reports Grimsby Live.
The first train had been scheduled to leave at 5.24pm, the second at 6.24pm and the third at 7.24pm.
But the couple eventually left on the 8.30pm train.
Pete tried to visit the office to discuss the situation only to find that it was closed due to staff shortages.
He said: "Myself and my partner were looking to travel back from Cleethorpes after spending the day at the seaside resort only to find our first train had been cancelled.
"Then, an hour later, we found out the second train had been cancelled as well.
"We'd been on the platform for around two hours when I rang their helpline to ask about whether or not the next train would be on time.
"The person on the phone told me the next one may be coming, but that they couldn't guarantee it would.
"In the end, we went to the nearby pub whilst we waited to see if the next train would arrive.
"There were around 200 people waiting on the platform when we found out the third train had been cancelled as well. It was absolutely ridiculous.
"I was getting upset after the third train was cancelled and in the end we left at 8.30pm, over three hours from when we were originally meant to.
"At this point, they should be called TransPennine Excuse, not TransPennine Express.
"Even the office was shut due to a lack of staff. I understand the issue, but that's not my problem.
"If they've entered into a contract they should fulfill the service."
He added: "Cleethorpes is brilliant, but if this continues it could really put people off going.
"Now, I may never return to Cleethorpes, the whole station looked like a refugee camp at one point.
"The whole thing was a debacle, I don't think they're fit to be running the service if I'm honest.
"There should have been at least been a replacement bus service. In the end, I missed my connecting train in Sheffield and ended up spending £16 on a taxi home, it was simply disgraceful."
Pete said it was not just him and his partner that were upset by the situation either.
He explained: "There were a lot of families on the platform too, including a single mum with two kids. By the end, her little girl was getting really upset. Cancelling three trains is outrageous in my eyes."
TransPennine Express apologised to passengers travelling between Cleethorpes and Manchester who were affected by short-notice changes to services.
A spokesperson said: "Sadly, as sickness levels have remained high and the situation has been exacerbated by industrial relations issues, we've needed to introduce a programme of pre-planned cancellations to further reduce the risk of cancelling services at short notice.
"We recommend customers check carefully, up to the last minute, before travelling and allow extra time when making their journey.”
