A mother claims she was forced to cut short her family holiday to Butlin’s after she says she ‘found a bedbug infestation in her accommodation’.
Rebecca Horgan was sharing a “gold” apartment at the Skegness resort with her five-year-old son and parents.
Ms Horgan, 36, alleged that the accommodation was “really dirty”, with her bed “infested with bedbugs”.
Hailing from Lincoln, the mother of a five-year-old boy said that the group had arrived for their three-night coastal break on Friday but had chosen to depart early on Sunday.
Talking about the horrific experience, she said that she had been heading back to bed after attending to her son in the night when she alleges she first came across the insects.
She told the BBC: “I got back into bed to find a large, adult bedbug on the white pillowcase. On pulling back the duvet there were many more in the sheets.
“These had not been visible in the daytime. They were also on the bedframe and had invaded my son’s suitcase.”
Ms Horgan said her mother had booked two apartments. Ms Horgan’s brother, his wife and children took the other apartment. However, no bed bugs were spotted in that room, she said.
After finding the bedbugs, Ms Horgan said she had rung an emergency number and Butlin’s staff offered to move the four of them to a different apartment.
She continued: “No-one came to help us or see if we were OK despite my obvious distress. After phoning again and asking for bin bags, so I could seal the cases before putting them in the car, two guards arrived with bags.”
The family decided not to take up the offer of an alternative apartment, Ms Horgan said.
She said: “Due to the contaminated cases, I just wanted to leave.”
Butlin’s later offered to refund the cost of the apartment and dining, Ms Horgan said, but the company has told her they will not refund the price of the second apartment even though she said the break had been ruined.
Ms Horgan also claimed Butlin’s had also refused to compensate the family for items they said had to be thrown away.
“It was a disaster from start to finish,” she added.
A Butlin’s spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry to hear about Rebecca and her family’s recent experience on resort. We have been in direct contact with the family to offer a gesture of goodwill and since being made aware, we have fully treated the unit of accommodation.
“We want to reassure guests that we have strict cleaning and hygiene policies in place, including the identification and subsequent treatment for preventing bedbugs.”
