Jess Hardiman
A furious mum is claiming she was left with ‘150 painful bed bug bites’ after saying at a ‘mouldy and dusty’ Butlin’s Resort apartment.
Cleaner Courtney-Jade Mildenhall booked a four-night stay at the Minehead Resort in Somerset to celebrate her son Ralphie Hickman’s second birthday, paying £700 for the trip.
After checking in with her 22-year-old partner Paige Hickman, her mum Elizabeth Wiblin, 41, and other family members on 24 July, Mildenhall said she was left with more than 150 bite marks.
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The 21-year-old was even left with an allergic reaction to the bites, prompting her to visit her GP on 28 July – where it was confirmed that the marks were bed bug bites.
After being prescribed antihistamines and lotion, Mildenhall said that two weeks on, she’s been left with scarring that she feels ‘anxious’ about people seeing.
Mildenhall, from Oxford in Oxfordshire, said: "On Tuesday night bites started appearing on me.
"I didn't think anything of it at first but by Thursday I had about 10 on the side of my body.
"On Friday I had 50 on one side of my body and there must have been over 150 bites on me in total when I left.
"They were all down the sides of my body from my chest to my waist. I had some on my legs and arms and I was practically covered in them.
"They appeared red at first and then they turned into raised bumps in a zig-zag pattern.
"They were really sore, itchy and hurt, It wasn't very pleasant."
Mildenhall opened up a complaints case on the Butlin’s Resolver website, but claims she only received an automatic reply, which told her to allow 10 days for the query to be looked into.
Butlin’s said she didn’t lodge a complaint while at the resort, and that it acknowledged the Resolver complaint within the timeframe.
Mildenhall claimed her ‘comfort’ apartment was covered in dust, and that mould was growing on the ceiling.
During the stay, she also closely inspected the beds to find bugs and blood streaks from ‘squashed bed bugs’ or her bleeding on the sheets.
She continued: "The bed bugs were in my bed. We had a deep search of the bed and they were in my single bed.
"We only saw a few but there were probably more in the mattress.
"We also found blood streaks on the bed sheets, which I presume were from squashed bed bugs or where I had scratched in the night."
The mum said that other family members were also bitten during the holiday, adding: "My partner had a few little bites and my mum had quite a few on her.
"Luckily my son only had one bite on him, which I was pleased about.
"It was my first time visiting Butlin's and I thought it was a good place as I had heard good things about it.
"Now I don't ever want to go back as it would make me worry too much."
Mildenhall claims she has still heard nothing from Butlin’s other than an automated response, despite it being more than 10 days since she filed the initial complaint.
“It has been a couple of weeks but I have got scars where they [the bites] were,” she said.
"It has made me quite anxious and I don't want to wear clothes that show them.
"I'm quite disappointed with Butlin's, I thought they would look into it a bit more. It's not a general complaint, it's more than that.
"It's the summer holidays now and there are lots of kids going there."
Butlin’s has apologised for the issue, but said a third-party expert had confirmed there was no evidence of bedbugs.
However, just last month, another guest named Lisa Gray claimed in media reports that her daughter had also been bitten by bed bugs at the same resort, with Butlin’s admitting at the time that it had been forced to fumigate the room.
A Butlin's spokesman said: "We're sorry for the experience the guest had on their break, which isn't acceptable.
"Since receiving the complaint we appointed an independent third-party expert to inspect the room.
"They have confirmed that there was no evidence whatsoever to the existence of bedbugs in the accommodation. We will be contacting the guest directly to discuss their issues further."