'Our Covid superspreading holiday in Skegness' - 8 out of 13 members of family 'test positive' after stay at park

The Lewells, Lees, Flowers and Mendozas have enjoyed caravan holidays together since childhood and paid £4.193 for a variety of accommodation at Parkdean's Southview resort.

However, Sherriann Lewell said the caravans were not anywhere near the promised “enhanced cleaning” standard they were promised.

One child on a broken bed even 'fell through to the floor' before the week was over.

Parkdean say they are ' happy with the procedures we have in place' after an inspection of the park.

But Sherriann outlines a catalogue of issues in need of attention in an official letter of complaint to the company - and since returning home eight members of the family out of the 13 have tested positive for Covid-19. .

"We have no doubts that we contracted Covid-19 due to the lack of cleanliness and sanitising on site," says Sherriann, from Stevenage. ".We had to request somebody come and hoover the floor due to crumbs and dust everywhere,

"Using a wipe, the floor left the cloth black.

"The cleaner then said 'shall I mop it for you or will a hoover do?' The mop bucket water was dirty and left an awful smell.

"Using dirty water that has obviously been used elsewhere is not hygienic.

"The caravan had dust in all the cupboards which show they had not been cleaned.

"The kitchen sink and drying area had to be scrubbed due to food being stuck on the surfaces.

"The cutlery had bits of dried food which we had to rewash.

"All the door handles had to be cleaned due to fingermarks and grime on them. The cloth was grey once finished. The grill door was broken making it not safe to use."

The Lees caravan had a "broken grill and toilet seat, with the lid left on the floor covered in dirt and hair".

"The bedding was dirty with marks and hairs on them," Sherriann said. "Mrs Lee refused to sleep in the bedroom all week because of the dirty bedding and how damp the bedroom was.

"The mattress had mould on it and the room had a strong mould smell which was detrimental to everyone's health.

"When reported on site, no new bedding was offered, no apologies made, or attempts to resolve the issue.

"There was thick dust under the table and on all surfaces.

"Dust on any surface is a very clear sign that it has not recently been cleaned. The caravan was extremely damp.

"Mr and Mrs Lee had paid for a more expensive caravan due to the promise of a newer model with dining seating and instead they were given a very old, small,

The Flowers had booked an accessible caravan due to Mrs Flowers having mobility difficulties and poor health.

"Initially the mattress had springs poking out which - due to Mrs Flowers having rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia, and arthritis - was too painful for her.

"Mr Flowers requested a new mattress and a new one was delivered on the Sunday which was too small for the metal frame," said Sherriann.

"This meant that it was extremely painful for her to transfer into/out of bed. In the process of delivering a new mattress they dumped all Mr & Mrs Flowers' belongings on the floor as well as leaving the bedding on the floor.

"How was this appropriate taking into account that the caravan is an accessible unit?"

The Mendozas had booked a lodge for their stay. "It was not leaned to an enhanced standard," said Sherriann.. "The veranda was covered in bird poo which Mrs Mendoza was left to clean herself.

"A dirty cotton bud and a tissue were found on the floor. Hair was all over the bedroom and on surfaces.

"Thick dust on all surfaces shows it had not been cleaned.

"Both of the children's beds were broken. By the end of the week a child had fallen through to the floor where the wooden slats fell because they had been simply placed on the bars."

In her letter of complaint to Parkdean, Sherriann calls for an investigation of the enhanced cleaning procedures on the park.

"Our request is for an investigation to be made at Southview by someone unbiased who will ensure they do an enhanced clean of the place before more families are let down. We also

request a suitable amount of compensation for not providing a safe Covid secure holiday which was promised to us upon booking<" she said.

"Ever since I was a little girl we have all had a family caravan park holiday together, apart from in 2020 due to Covid-19, and had such a lovely time, which is why we decided to return this year.

"Due to Covid-19 we didn't visit as many places while we were here but we did venture to the beach twice near the north car park which is lovely and quiet and has contactless parking.

"We and the kids did have a wonderful beach day.."

Our newspaper spoke to Parkdean regarding the complaint and we were given reassurance the company was happy with procedures in place to make the holiday park Covid-secure.

A spokesperson for Southview Holiday Park said:“The safety of our guests and team members is paramount, and we have sector-leading COVID-secure measures in place, which go above and beyond Government guidelines, to ensure our parks are COVID-safe.

"The local EHO visited the park for a routine inspection on 12th August and was happy with the procedures we have in place.”