Parkdean’s Vauxhall Holiday Park, in Great Yarmouth, denies racial discrimination after security called family of March man Jamie Thomas ‘scumbags’

A holiday park is denying allegations of discrimination after its security guard called visitors “scumbags”.

Jamie Thomas, from March, says his Easter weekend was an “absolute nightmare” after he and his family were not allowed into Vauxhall Holiday Park in Great Yarmouth, claiming the business assumed they were travellers.

However, the resort says that this is “simply untrue” and the group was actually not allowed on the site due to a booking mistake.

Jamie booked a last-minute getaway to the site by calling up Parkdean Resorts’ head office.

After paying £191 and getting the confirmation through on email, the father arranged activities for his children and got ready to start the almost two-hour journey to the Norfolk coast.

Caravan loaded and already on the road, Jamie got a call from the park to say there had been a mistake and the site was overbooked.

“I didn’t bother turning around, I thought we could sort it out when we got there,” he said.

“When we turned up to the gates, they wouldn’t let us on at all.”

Jamie suspects that the incident had something to do with a number of traveller families being in the resort that weekend and the business assuming that his family was part of it.

“I think what had happened the night before was that a lot of people turned up who were travellers who had PE15 as their postcode, which was the same as mine.”

Later in the day, and still no further to getting on to the park, things got more intense.

“I don’t think it started off as racial,” said Jamie, who works on behalf of UK Networks.

“I live in a house, I have a job.

“But as it went on, and I said that I was here for the weekend and wasn’t going, we ended up just parking out in front of the site.”

“It just got more hostile because there were other friends of mine who were travellers in the resort, asking what the problem was.”

His uncle was also staying that weekend, so Jamie decided to have him come and pick up his son so he could still do the activities that were booked, but the two-year-old was refused entry.

“This is a park for families,” he added.

“I said to security that my child will be going into that clubhouse, and then the attitude just went from there.

“He thought he was funny, but it was disgusting.”

Jamie filmed a particular security guard who called him “the biggest waste of space around here” and a “scumbag”.

A spokesperson for Vauxhall Holiday Park has said the entry refusal came down to a booking error, which was identified and a full refund was processed.

“Vauxhall Holiday Park remains an extremely popular place for families to have fun and spend time together.

“As often happens in the week before Easter, the park hits full capacity, and Mr Thomas was informed of this after he twice tried to make a booking.

“Unfortunately, at his third attempt, our central system did produce a booking in error.”

The park claims that Jamie purposely decided to travel to the park regardless to “cause a disturbance”.

“At the security gate, he became extremely aggressive towards our employees, blocked the entrance with his vehicle and attempted to light a fire, so police were called to move him on.

“We do not condone the language used in the video, but do support all our employees who are subjected to abuse and aggressive behaviour.

“Any allegations of discrimination are simply untrue.”