Westcountry Pontins seaside holiday ‘ghost town’ a shadow of its former self

Once a popular seaside holiday resort bursting with tourists, Pontins Holiday Park in Brean is now a shadow of its former self. Unfortunately the Somerset resort became famed for its ‘unhygienic’ chalets and rundown facilities and many of its sites across the country were sold off or abandoned.

As is the case with many British resorts, the rise in attractive package holidays abroad, paired with the global pandemic and staggering cost of living crisis, local tourism has taken a hit with a steep economic decline. And now, with Brean’s Pontins shutting its doors to house 900 staff from Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant for three years, the area is reportedly more derelict and sad than ever before.

Business owners have spoken of the effects of low tourist numbers on the town and their worries for the future – but is Brean really as eerie and haunted as many make out?

The Mirror took a trip to the ‘ghost town’ to speak to locals and visitors about their experiences, and suss out if there is light at the end of the tunnel for nostalgic lovers of Brean.

Driving through the seaside on a sunny weekday in June, there are very few cars and pedestrians passing by. It doesn’t feel like a bustling main strip at all. The atmosphere is flat and dull, despite the blue skies above and colourful inflatables, sticks of rock and buckets and spades hanging off the shopfronts. Most of the food vans and stores are shut – or are so empty that they appear to be – and I can count the number of families roaming the street on one hand.

One middle-aged bakery worker, who prefers to remain anonymous, tells me that it “hasn’t been this quiet in six years” and it’s “understandably worrying for businesses”.

“Hinkley might help the local pubs but not our bakery. We’re shut when they’re in town,” she explains. “It was fairly busy on the bank holiday. We haven’t got to summer yet. That will be the real test to see if it will pick up.”

Directly opposite the heavily padlocked iron gates of Pontins is a large entertainment centre, with far more arcade machines than people inside. And it isn’t the only derelict arcade, as there’s another with barely any visitors further down. But I’m reminded of the day of the week when an unnamed employee tells me: “The nice weather has brought a lot of families in on weekends.

“There’s still a lot of holiday parks around. It won’t be as busy with Pontins shut but hopefully, we’ll get a decent trade in.”

Maisie Jackson, 17, who grew up nearby and works in the local bakery, doesn’t think Pontins closing will have an impact on the younger generation. “There’s still a lot for kids and teenagers to do here with the leisure centre, but not so much for young adults,” she says.

A couple of people I speak to mention the “new crowd”, with former Pontins families replaced by power plant workers, who are mostly middle-aged men.

This is a perk for manager Kristy Roberts, 28, who recently opened a new over-18s cocktails and live music bar on the first floor of Krackers Karaoke Bar. “I’m not necessarily worried about Pontins shutting down. It just might be a different crowd,” Kristy tells me. “It’s always lively on weekends and summer holidays and quiet during the winter. Brean is seasonal.”

Talking about the recent reports, Kristy says: “People think Pontins has turned us into a ghost town, but that’s not the case at all. We wouldn’t have opened the new bar if it was too quiet. We still have a lot of regulars, day trippers and caravan goers. It’s not derelict.”

Kirsty disagrees with Brean local, Gary Reid, 61, who recently shared his fears with The Sun about what the future holds for locals.

He said: “It has the feel of a one-horse town where even the horse has left. At this time of year it’s never very busy but we are fearful for the coming season. Pontins had a weekly turnover of 3,000 people coming into the resort and although there are many caravan sites around, the loss of so many visitors and their spending power will be huge.”

The area is full of endless static caravans for hire or sell – though from a glance, very few people seem to be staying in them. I’m told this could be down to the rising cost of mobile homes post-pandemic and an increase in wealthy homeowners purchasing holiday homes.

A couple on the beach explain to me that their static caravan in Brean has almost doubled in value in the last five years, from £6,000 to over £10,000. “Owning a caravan here has gone from being something that was achievable for working class families, to a daydream,” Julie Quinlan, 59, says.

“Caravans have gone up to a ridiculous price. It’s not affordable to the majority. They’re all owned by big companies and are holiday lets. We used to be able to talk to the locals, but now they aren’t any.”

Julie and her retired partner Ian Merchant, 68, spend half of their week in their caravan in Brean, with their two dogs, Arthur and Merlin. They say Brean is “always quiet”, and they prefer walking up near Brean Down, where cars aren’t allowed to park on the beach and very few visitors stray.

“We love the wildlife and stargazing at night. This panoramic view is beautiful. When the sun rises here, you could be anywhere in the world,” Julie says.

As I venture towards Brean Sands, I learn there is a “big divide” between the Pontins main strip and the tranquil seafront – despite being so close geographically. “There is two parts to Brean, though they blend into each other along the beach,” cyclist Paul Young, 51, tells me.

He regularly visits Brean Down with his pal, Giles Bisset, 51, for the “wonderful” outdoor walks, hikes and cycling routes. “It’s not very glamorous in Brean town. I think Pontins might attract some antisocial behaviour with the new crowd of workers,” he says.

The pair of them used to bring their children, who are now grown-up, to Brean Leisure Park for family breaks, but wouldn’t necessarily choose to stay nowadays.

“One of my friends visited Brean for the first time two weeks ago and said to me, ‘It was an experience I will not repeat’,” Giles chuckles.

The newfound peace at Brean Down is welcomed by regular day trippers, many of which describe the peninsula and coastal walk as a “hidden gem”.

“It’s a beautiful place, I just love the Brean Down. There’s some lovely walks in the countryside and all the people get on so well,” an anonymous National Trust volunteer says.

“There is so much history in the area that people don’t know about. But I’ll be honest, the thing that spoils it most is the people up that end that visit.

“I just cannot believe the attitude of people who come down here and have BBQs on the beach and leave everything behind.”

The 76-year-old litter picker says that it “definitely has got quieter recently” and he “knows a lot of businesses are struggling and need the tourism”.

A dog walker, who is, by chance, a retired Hinkley Point B architect, reminds me that Pontins closing is only temporary, and it’ll be back open in three years’ time.

“I don’t think it will make much difference at all to the area, as Hinkley is for a limited time only during construction,” Roy Love, 76, says.

“Though I find it strange that they’re staying in Pontins, as it must be an hour’s commute every day.”

I’m told by numerous people that the three-year construction project might actually inject more money into the local area, instead of taking it away.

Pontins is currently being used to aid the construction of Hinkley Point C, which is expected to start generating electricity in 2026, before it reverts back to its original use.

EDF Energy has said that it will be making improvement works, including upgrades to the 600 chalets that are onsite and the installation of WiFi.

A spokesman for EDF said: “The renovations represent a multi-million upgrade to the site which will provide a long-lasting benefit to tourism in the area.”

And judging by recent reports, Pontins could really do with a revamp. The holiday complex recently came under fire from guests who complained about dirty and outdated accommodation.

One of those visitors was Nicola Fawkes, from Ynyshir in Wales, who said her children were left in tears by the “absolutely disgusting” chalet in Brean Sands.

The family were shocked to find rubbish and dirt “everywhere” in their rooms during their visit last year, and said: “Nothing could prepare us for what we walked into.”

A TripAdvisor review last summer described Pontins as “possibly the worst place” the guest had ever come across, and they said it “wasn’t fit for rats”.

With all the bad press painting a pretty ugly picture of Pontins in recent years, could it be a good thing after all that the holiday park has been forced to shut its doors?

In the meantime, the new crowd could worsen the already big divide between the beautiful countryside and beaches near Brean Down and the main strip.

But despite how derelict, empty and slow-paced I found the seaside town, it seems local businesses are clinging onto hope for the summer holidays and warm weather ahead, which will be a true test to determining its future.