Sussex holiday resorts extend temporary closure

Butlin's had initially taken the decision to close all three of its resorts, in Bognor, Skegness and Minehead, from March 20 until April 16. Meanwhile, Haven Holidays, which has resorts across the country including two in Sussex — Church Farm in Pagham, Bognor Regis and Combe Haven in St Leonards, Hastings — had been scheduled to be closed until April 17.

Both companies announced extensions to the period of closure yesterday (Monday, April 6).

Butlin's said the decision was made with a 'heavy heart'.

Its post on Twitter added: "Our focus has always been to give our guests a fun and entertaining holiday, so it is with much sadness that we’ve had to make this decision.

"We are all facing unprecedented times — every person, every kind of work is affected. We will get through this and back to providing great holidays for you all.

"For now, we want to give you as much reassurance and remove any uncertainty you have for your holiday in this period."

Butlin's said its contact centre team is ready to help customers re-plan their holiday, adding: "We have given them the equipment and support to be able to work safely from home and have brought in more people to help us get to your request as quickly as possible.

"If your break has been affected, you'll receive an email, SMS or letter from us asking you to fill in a form. We'll respond to everyone. We're working through in date order.

"Please don’t worry if your break is coming up or your arrival date passes, all of your options remain open

"If you have questions regarding your break outside of these dates, please do not try and call us at this time as we are experiencing very high volumes."

Haven said the decision was made to extend the period of closure 'following further guidance from the Government'.

A spokesperson said: "We know how disappointing this will be for those guests who are booked to stay with us during this time but every decision we make, we do so ensuring the safety and security of our guests, owners and teams are our number one priority, in the unprecedented times we are in.

"We are conscious that this will have an impact on a huge amount of families, and we are currently contacting all guests affected by the closure and the options that will be available to them."

Due to the 'huge volumes' of guests affected, Haven is prioritising those who will be travelling between April 17 and April 30.

"We would like to thank our guests for their patience whilst we work through this as quickly as we can," the spokesperson continued.

"The situation is being closely monitored and we ask guests to follow our social media channels and our website for latest updates.

"We would like to apologise to everyone for this disruption and thank our guests, owners and teams for their continued support. We look forward to welcoming our wider Haven family back to enjoy a coastal break.

"We do not intend to make any further statements as our priority now is to look after the guests affected by this decision."

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