• [Dailystar Icon]
• News
• Holidays from Hell

Dad suffers 100 bed bug bites at Haven resort as family has 'holiday from hell'

An unlucky man who suffered 100 grim bed bug bites has slammed Haven for what he calls the 'holiday from hell' at one of their UK caravan resorts

[JEMMA HIGGS, 39, AND HER PARTNER TERRY STOCKFORD, 43.]

Terry says his stay at Haven was 'the holiday from hell' (Image: Kennedy News & Media)

A family endured the 'holiday from hell' when pest control were scrambled to tackle a bed bug outbreak at Haven - leaving the step-dad covered 'head to toe' in 100 bites.

Terry Stockford says the staycation with his fiance Jemma Higgs and two of her children quickly turned into a nightmare after he woke up on the first morning covered in 120 bites. Even upon first arriving at Haven's Devon Cliffs Holiday Park in Exmouth, Devon, last Monday, July 13, the family were warned there was an ant infestation in their room.

The 43-year-old says Jemma, 39, and the kids slept in his seven-seater car due to the extent of the bugs crawling about, while he braved the caravan. But when he woke up on Tuesday July 14, Terry claims he was covered 'head to toe' in bites and found bed bugs were 'absolutely everywhere' in the room.

[Terry suffered around 100 bites ]

Terry suffered around 100 bites (Image: Kennedy News & Media)

The couple complained to reception and were offered a refund and moved to a different caravan. But Terry says the problems continued as he claims the second caravan had vile stains on the pillows and floor, cobwebs and broken curtains.

The electrician visited the local walk-in centre on Wednesday July 15, due to how painful his bites were, where doctors reportedly told him they had 'never seen bed bug bites like it in 40 years'. He was prescribed cream and antibiotics for the bites - but the medication meant that Terry, who is the only one that could drive, wasn't medically fit to drive the family home.

After they were initially meant to checkout on Friday July 17, the couple were forced to prolong their stay at the resort until he was fit to drive home on Thursday July 23.

[Terry said the infestation made it the holiday from hell ]

Terry said the infestation made it the holiday from hell (Image: Kennedy News & Media)

He says Haven let the family stay longer at the resort free of charge and they were offered a full refund and given 200 worth of vouchers to spend on-site. But Terry says the 'holiday from hell' left the couple in tears - and they will never stay in a Haven caravan again.

Haven admitted that pest control had to be called, who confirmed that bed bugs were present and treated the room, apologising to the family for their experience.

Terry, from Oxford, Oxfordshire, said: "We were told there was an ant problem and not to use one of the bedrooms as they were bad and if they spread we should call the maintenance and he would put repellent down.

"We did this, but it didn't work so Jemma and the children slept in my car that night. I slept in the double bed and woke up the next morning to around 120 bed bug bites covering me from head to toe.

"If the kids would have stayed there then they would have been bitten as well - luckily it was just me that got bitten. There were [huge numbers] of bed bugs in the initial room we were moved from."

Terry says they complained to reception on Tuesday, July 14, who moved the family to a different caravan - but they encountered further problems.

[Generic image of bed bugs]

The family had to sleep in their car (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Terry said: "The original caravan was a silver standard, but they moved us to possibly the worst caravan on the whole site - there were stains on the pillows, stains on the floor, cobwebs, broken curtains.

"Myself and Jemma wanted to leave but the children were very sad so we made the decision to stay."

Terry says the Haven maintenance team collected the family's clothes from the original caravan so that they could be washed and dried on a high heat to kill the bed bugs. But when their belongings were returned, Terry claims all of their clothes had been shrunk in the wash - and the family-of-four were forced to wear the same clothes on repeat for the remainder of their stay.

[Terry's bites became 'unbearably painful' ]

Terry's bites became 'unbearably painful' (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Terry said: "The maintenance man picked up all of our clothes from the original caravan - they had to be washed on a high temperature and them tumbled dried - they came back and they were all shrunk. "I had to live in my swim shorts, my sliders and a vest. Same with the kids - we were all living in them and had to wash them every day."

By Wednesday July 15, Terry's bites had become so unbearably painful that he visited the local walk in centre, where doctors reportedly confirmed he had been bitten by bed bugs.

Terry said: "They [the doctors] confirmed that it was bed bug bites and the lady said she's worked in the NHS for 40 years and she's never seen any bed bug [bites] like it in her life. They put me on these penicillin tablets and this other medication that I'm not allowed to drive on.

"We were stranded so Haven said they would let us stay [for longer] - they gave us a 50 voucher for the first few days that we could spend on site, but we still didn't have any clothes. Me and Jemma were in tears - all we wanted to do is go home, but because I couldn't drive because of my medication, what did they expect me to do.

"We had to stay longer than the original holiday was meant to be, but it was a holiday from hell." Terry says bed bug bites were so severe that he had to completely shave off his hair and beard - just a month before he and Jemma are due to get married.

Terry said: "I was scratching on my head - I had to cut my hair with scissors because we had no clippers here. I had to get a bus down to the town centre to get all of my hair cut off, all of my beard cut off and we're getting married in four weeks."

[Terry said that pest control "had never seen anything like" this infestation ]

Terry said that pest control "had never seen anything like" this infestation

Terry claims pest control attended both caravans the family had stayed in and confirmed there was a bed bug infestation.

Terry said: "The pest control man said he'd never seen anything like it. He went back to the original caravan, walked in and said they were absolutely everywhere.

I got down to the beach and I literally had a breakdown. Terry says they have been offered a full refund for the 520 they paid for the caravan, in addition to 200 worth of vouchers to spend on-site and the extra nights they had to stay at the resort were covered by Haven free of charge.

He says what the family encountered at the holiday park was 'disgusting' and he will never stay at a Haven holiday park again.

Terry said: "It's really bad - we came here last year and there was nothing like this, it's disgusting. I will never ever stay in a Haven caravan again. We're adults and it's been bad enough for us - but the kids had been waiting for this all summer."

Haven said they took immediate action to the outbreak and pest control confirmed the presence of bed bugs and treated the room, while the family were given a full refund.

[An architecturally designed modern building, possibly an educational facility, is prominently featured in the image. The structure boasts a combination of glass and metal panels, creating a sleek and contemporary appearance. The building's faade is adorned with a distinctive logo. Additionally, a meticulously maintained garden is situated in front of the building, with a pathway leading to the entrance. The scene is set against a backdrop of clear skies, enhancing the overall visual appeal of the establishment.]

Haven said they took immediate action to the outbreak and pest control confirmed the presence of bed bugs and treated the room, while the family were given a full refund.(Image: Haven Holidays)

They said they were not aware that members of family had felt compelled to sleep in the car and that they were eventually relocated to another room free of charge.

The caravan the family were moved to was of a 'different grade than originally booked due to park availability'.

A Haven spokesperson said: "We are deeply sorry for the issues the family experienced during their holiday with us. As soon as these concerns were brought to our attention, we took immediate action to relocate the family to alternative accommodation.

"An independent pest control specialist has since inspected and treated the caravan. We have continued to provide a great deal of support to the family throughout their stay."

[Dailystar Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Star as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.