"Pontins says sorry to Gypsy and Traveller communities over discrimination," 2 September 2024

Pontins has issued an apology to Gypsy and Traveller communities after an investigation by the equality watchdog uncovered discriminatory practices by the holiday park operator.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) served Pontins with an unlawful act notice... after an investigation found practices aimed at barring Irish Travellers from its holiday parks between 2013 and 2018.

In response to the investigation Pontins, which is owned by Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd, has apologised to the Gypsy and Traveller communities and described its practices as “clearly wrong”... “On behalf of the owners, directors, senior managers and all of us here at Pontins, we would like to reiterate our apologies regarding the serious issues raised by the EHRC in their report... In particular we want to apologise directly to the Traveller and Gypsy community. The refusal to allow guests to stay at our parks because we suspected they were Irish Travellers was clearly wrong.”

The spokesperson added: “We accept the serious nature of the issues raised in the report. We deeply regret any distress caused, particularly to members of the Traveller and Gypsy communities who have been directly affected.”

The findings from the EHRC investigation, which was published earlier this year, found Pontins had been involved in 11 unlawful acts including retaining a list of Irish surnames titled “undesirable guests”, monitoring calls as well as refusing or cancelling bookings made by people with an Irish accent or surname...