Hollie Honeyman says she was left with ‘disgusting’ bug bites over her neck, arms and back after she stopping at a popular Butlin’s resort
A holidaymaker had to flee Butlin’s and bin most of her clothes after claiming she was “eaten alive” by bed bugs. Hollie Honeyman was celebrating a friend’s birthday during a four-day trip to Butlin’s in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, but was “disgusted” when she found insects in her bed and curtains.
The 25-year-old claims she eventually broke out in at least 100 “big bites” that covered her entire body. The bites, Hollie claims, became “progressively worse” as the day went on.
Her face, neck, back and arms were covered with large, red and inflamed spots. And although Butlin’s offered to move her to a different room, production assistant Hollie says her holiday was “ruined” because she was too paranoid to sleep.
Hollie decided to leave a day early after her bites became too painful and itchy. She was later forced to spend a day disinfecting her car.
Fearing that the bugs could be brought back into her home, Hollie decided to dispose of most of her luggage and clothing. Since she got home, she says her bites have become “disgusting” and filled with “pus”.
After a trip to the GP she was prescribed steroid cream. Now Hollie says she “would never stay” at Butlin’s again.
The company offered her a £400 refund but Hollie refused, saying she believes she deserves more. The company said it is “very sorry” to hear about her ordeal and will be in contact to “discuss the issues raised further”.
It says it has a strict cleaning and hygiene policy that helps identify and treat bed bugs. Hollie, who lives in Sittingbourne, Kent, said: “The whole thing was just completely ruined. I was eaten alive and I’m still so itchy and feel absolutely horrible.
“I woke up on Saturday morning and found loads of bed bugs in the bed with me, which was absolutely horrible. I think we killed about four or five that we found and then we kept finding more. There were some in the curtains and under the bed as well. It’s disgusting.
“It was Saturday afternoon I started to notice itchiness and then later in the evening when I started to come up with those big bites all over my body. They kept getting progressively worse and I kept finding more and more.
“By that point I’d spoken to housekeeping and we got moved further down in the apartment block. It was the whole inconvenience of it as we had to move all of our stuff over.
“We ended up leaving on Sunday instead of Monday like we planned. I couldn’t stay there, the bites were so bad at that point and there were easily 100.
“I had to dump my suitcase and a lot of my clothes as I couldn’t risk taking it all home. I’ve had to disinfect my car and dump all the clothes I was wearing.
“We spent the entire Sunday washing and tumble drying our clothes at the Butlin’s Laundrette just so we could salvage some and take them home.”
Hollie’s partner Ben Clegg, 24, had a delayed reaction, later discovering the bites had covered his back. Hollie added: “I’ve obviously had an allergic reaction to them so they’ve all gone [full of pus] and disgusting.
“I’ve also gone to the doctor’s today because I haven’t been able to sleep because I’ve been so paranoid about it and I keep thinking I have bugs on me. It’s so horrible.”
Hollie, who used to go to Butlin’s with her family, has struggled sleeping since arriving back from her trip. She says she feels like there are “bugs all over her” when she is in bed.
She added: “They offered us £400 as compensation which I don’t think is anywhere near enough to what we should receive so I declined it. I’m still really itchy and now I’m so paranoid about everything.
“Even sleeping at night I’ve been really struggling because I feel like there are bugs all over me. I’d never stay at Butlin’s again. It’s a shame because I used to go with my family a lot when I was younger.
“I’d warn people to be careful. I’m worried about other people, especially families and small kids if they’re staying in the same room or near the room I stayed in.”
A spokesperson for Butlin’s said: “We’re very sorry to hear about Hollie’s recent experience on resort and have emailed her directly to discuss the issues raised further.
“We want to reassure guests that we have strict cleaning and hygiene policies in place, including the identification and subsequent treatment for preventing bedbugs.”