The Pontins park in Southport, Merseyside, was once a bustling holiday destination but now lies abandoned and frozen in time after closing its doors two years ago
A Pontins resort once bustling with the sounds of family entertainment now stands as an eerie ghost-town following its closure two years ago.
The Southport site remains frozen in time, with rooms left exactly as they were and the vibrant primary colours of children’s slides now faded to pale pastels.
Following a sudden and shocking closure, the Pontins resort became desolate, with empty flats deserted by the holiday chain.
To this day, the location remains unused and unfilled for any other purpose.
With no efforts made to strip decorations or clear the grounds, it resembles a small settlement abandoned during an apocalyptic evacuation, reports the Express.
The sole indicators of existence are the melancholy neon yellow signs casting reflections into the puddles below.
Ghostly outdoor recreational areas persist, featuring unused picnic benches and swings swaying in the breeze.
Urban explorer Matt, known online as Exploring with Matt, stumbled upon the scene before sharing it with his social media audience.
Matt said: “On the Southport Pontins site I’d saw that it closed online and I just happened to be in the area, so I checked it out along with my best mate No Limits Urbex, a great guy.”
Matt characterised the Pontins location as somewhere “time had stood still,” with the holiday accommodations untouched, complete with kitchen equipment, tables and beds all remaining in position.
Matt said: “I find places to go by looking at online websites dedicated to abandoned buildings and there is a huge online urban explorers community.
“For me, I am just so interested in buildings with a lot of history, such as old theatres, hospitals or abandoned colleges or high schools. They are like time capsules. It is so fascinating to me.”
After witnessing the haunting footage, supporters shared their thoughts about the Pontins Holiday Park’s closure on social media.
One said: “As a child we went here for our family holiday. It was the best, I have so many memories of Pontins, the bluecoats, donkey derby, the boating lake, miss Pontins competition, miss lovely legs competition, the goodnight children song, captain Croc, the party dances. Such a shame its closed.”
Another pointed the finger at the cost of living crisis and Liz Truss’ catastrophic mini-budget for the shutdown.
Numerous businesses, including Pontin’s, were compelled to shut down some of their operations simply to survive.
When the Southport site closed, Pontins announced: “It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of Pontins Southport Holiday Park.
“After assessing the future viability of the park, we have come to the difficult decision to close our doors. Unfortunately, this means that Pontins Southport Holiday Park will be closing from Wednesday 3rd January 2024. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
The firm also shuttered its Pontins Prestatyn and Pontins Camber Sands locations in a bid to reduce expenses.