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A Which? survey has named the best and worst holiday parks across the UK, and coming in dead last is a brand that was once a go-to resort for families but now only has one resort left in its portfolio

A holiday park that was once part of a chain of 30 sites and now stands as the brand’s last remaining location has been crowned the worst in the UK.

A Which? survey ranking the best and worst holiday parks across the country has placed Pontins firmly at the bottom, with its final remaining site in Weston-Super-Mare in Somerset being given the dubious honour.

Scoring a woeful 61% rating, Which? readers awarded the brand just two stars across customer service, accommodation quality, cleanliness, and food and drink. And despite being one of the most affordable options in the rankings, averaging £38 per person per night, it still only scraped two stars for value for money.

The dismal scores are a world away from Pontins’ glory days, when it was renowned for lively family getaways featuring its famous Bluecoats entertainers — a launching pad for the careers of Shane Ritchie and Bobby Davro. The brand was rescued from the brink of collapse 15 years ago when it was snapped up by Britannia Hotels, a chain Which? has repeatedly labelled the UK’s worst hotel chain.

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Its sole surviving site, Sandy Bay Holiday Village, is adults-only and appears to be actively distancing itself from the Pontins name, with no mention of the brand anywhere on its website. The park boasts a heated indoor pool, games room, live shows, and daily activities.

The park has received mixed reviews on Google, currently sitting at 3.6 stars out of five. One recent reviewer said: “The location is great, beach right in front of the resort, Weston only a 10 min open bus journey away”, also praising the accommodation for its cleanliness and upgraded room options.

Yet less favourable reviews tell a different story, with guests claiming “the rooms were filthy. We didn’t even have matching curtains!” and “dirty, smelly, run down! They may have changed their name, but they haven’t changed their shame.”

Prior to the closures, Pontins regularly made headlines as disgruntled customers reported grimy accommodation and poor facilities. In the now-closed Pontins Southport, guests complained of people smoking drugs and drunk parents roaming the park. A mum who visited the Brean Sands report alleged her children were left in tears after finding rubbish and dirt all over their room.

Another family, who visited Pontins Prestatyn in Wales dubbed it a “holiday from hell”. They claimed the room was yellowing from stains, the pool and restaurants were shut, and they “couldn’t even see out of the windows” due to grime.

At the opposite end of the rankings, Potters Resorts topped the table with its all-inclusive resorts in Norfolk and Essex, while Hoburne Holidays secured second place. Hoburne operates parks throughout the south and south west of the UK, including sites in the Cotswolds, Dorset, and Somerset.

Which? said: “This fifth-generation family business’s seven locations (in the south of England ) are all ideally situated, from a clifftop in coastal Dorset to a woodland retreat in the New Forest.”

It added: “There’s no tray jostling in sterile canteens either. Restaurants, like the lantern-adorned Pier House, with its sea-view terrace, source local, seasonal ingredients such as Brixham trout – earning the brand five stars for its food and drink. Activities make the most of each park’s unique surroundings, whether it’s guided bat walks or instructor-led kayaking on the wetlands of its Cotswolds site.”

The UK’s best and worst holiday parks

(Name of resort, overall customer score)

1. Potters Resorts – 83%
2. Hoburne Holidays – 81%
3. Darwin Escapes – 80%
4. Landal Parks – 80%
5. Waterside Holiday Group – 80%
6. Shorefield Holidays – 76%
7. Away Resorts – 75%
8. Bluestone Wales – 75%
9. Park Leisure UK – 75%
10. Highland Holidays – 74%
11. Lyons Holiday Parks – 74%
12. Largo Leisure – 73%
13. Park Holidays UK – 73%
14. Warner Coastal Villages – 73%
15. Forest Holidays – 72%
16. John Fowler Holidays – 72%
17. Center Parcs – 69%
18. Haven Holidays – 68%
19. Parkdean Resorts – 68%
20. Butlin’s – 63%
21. Pontins – 61%

Based on a survey of 2,221 Which? Connect panel members and general public conducted in February and March 2026.

Published on
09/09/2026 – 12:16 GMT+2

Helsinki has landed the biggest cheque Google has written anywhere in Europe

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The company announced on Wednesday that a €13 billion investment will fund data centres and supporting infrastructure across four municipalities, along with clean energy projects and funds dedicated to local biodiversity, education, research and workforce development.

The facilities in Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala will power a range of Google services, among them its Gemini chatbot. The company described the decision as “a testament to Finland’s leadership in responsibly building AI infrastructure.”

Construction is expected across 2027 and 2028, and the firm estimates the investment will add €3.6 billion a year to Finland’s GDP while supporting more than 37,000 jobs, roughly 16,000 of them in construction.

Once the building stops, Google projects the sites will sustain around 7,000 jobs annually, spanning technical and facility roles, equipment suppliers, as well as the shops, restaurants and services used by those workers and their families.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo welcomed the announcement in Google’s statement.

“Google’s decision is a clear testament to our strengths. The value of the data economy extends far beyond direct investment into spurring innovation, research and development,” Orpo said, adding that closer collaboration would “deliver lasting benefits for both parties.”

Why Finland

The appeal to invest in Finland is rooted in its cold climate.

Data centres generate enormous heat and consume vast quantities of electricity, and Finland offers a cold climate that reduces cooling costs alongside relatively cheap and stable power from nuclear plants, wind and hydro.

That combination has produced a boom, with dozens of data centres already under construction across the country.

Google’s own presence dates back to 2009, when it bought a disused paper mill in the coastal city of Hamina and converted it, expanding steadily since.

For Orpo’s right-wing government, attracting this kind of investment has also been a priority, especially since Finnish elections will take place in April of next year.

Finland is contending with record unemployment and weak growth, and the data economy has become one of the few sectors offering the prospect of substantial investment and job creation.

Additional sources • AFP

Billionaire comedy duo Trey Parker and Matt Stone are unveiling a new name for “South Park” ahead of the show’s 29th season: “South America.”

The satirical series’ name change follows President Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America amid the escalating U.S.-Canada trade war. Last week, tech behemoths Apple and Google honored Trump’s executive order and renamed the Great Lake on their maps for U.S. users.

Parker and Stone made the announcement on social media on Tuesday, writing, “Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation.”

The duo also jabbed at their parent company and its new owner, Skydance Media, for what media critics have characterized as caving to the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission. The “capitulation” involved controversial corporate and programming adjustments as well as agreeing to a $16-million settlement over a lawsuit brought by Trump involving a “60 Minutes” segment to get Paramount’s $8-billion merger with Skydance approved.

Last year, following a particularly incendiary episode of the show — in which a parody of Trump has an X-rated fling with Satan, and the president is portrayed as having an animated micropenis — the White House issued a statement to Variety slamming the series.

“The Left’s hypocrisy truly has no end — for years they have come after ‘South Park’ for what they labeled as ‘offense’ [sic] content, but suddenly they are praising the show,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement to the outlet. “Just like the creators of ‘South Park,’ the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows.”

Last week, “South Park,” won an Emmy Award for outstanding animated program. And last summer, Parker and Stone reached a five-year, $1.5-billion deal with Paramount to secure exclusive global streaming rights on Paramount+, making the series one of television’s most valuable shows and its creators two of the highest-paid comedy writers in the biz.

The 29th season of “South America” premieres Sept. 16 at 10 p.m. on Comedy Central.

Sept. 4 (UPI) — Embattled influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate faced new charges in Romania related to trafficking and sexual acts with a minor, prosecutors said Friday.

Andrew, 39, was indicted for the alleged sexual exploitation of a 15-year-old girl that the brothers moved from Britain to Romania. Tristan, 38, was charged with complicity and attempted obstruction of justice.

Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism said in a statement the charges also include money laundering and pornography involving a minor.

The brothers are accused of luring a 15-year-old girl from Britain and coercing her into producing pornographic content through physical violence and psychological manipulation.

Prosecutors said the brothers used emotional blackmail, threats, physical aggression and constant surveillance to control the victim and make her produce sexual video chats to sell online.

They earned more than $1.25 million by selling the child pornography content, prosecutors said.

A Romanian lawyer for the brothers, Eugen Constantin Vidineac, denied the allegations.

“We will examine every aspect of it with the same level of scrutiny and we will challenge any evidential, procedural or legal deficiencies through the appropriate judicial process,” the lawyer told Newsweek.

“Our clients continue to reject the allegations against them,” he added. “They have the right to the presumption of innocence, the right to properly examine the evidence relied upon against them and the right to mount an effective defense.”

The new charges come as the brothers sit in a U.S. jail while they fight extradition to Britain, where they were charged in July with rape, human trafficking and child pornography.

The Tate brothers, who hold dual British-American citizenship, have twice been charged with sex crimes in each Romania and Britain.

They are former kickboxers with millions of followers on social media.

A federal judge in Miami is yet to make a ruling on the Britain’s request for extradition after the brothers appeared in court on Aug. 27.

Aug. 28 (UPI) — The leader of the Seneca Nation on Friday called on President Donald Trump to reverse his decision to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.

Trump on Thursday signed an executive order renaming the body of water amid a trade dispute with Canada.

J. Conrad Sence, president of Seneca Nation, said, “The president cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action.”

“His order should be rescinded and the name Lake Ontario should be left as it is, reflective of the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations and all Indigenous people surrounding the lake,” Seneca said in a statement shared with WIVB.

“To us, Lake Ontario is not a political pawn,” he added. “It does not separate the countries of the United States and Canada. It is all Indigenous land, which has been occupied by Indigenous people since time immemorial.”

Jérôme Marty, executive director at the International Association for Great Lakes Research, said the lake was named by indigenous people.

“They gave the name of Lake Ontario, and then this name was then used to give the name of the province of Ontario, so it’s certainly not the province of Ontario that gave the name of the Lake Ontario, but it’s the opposite,” Marty told WIVB. “It’s prior to Canada, the creation of the United States, it’s been there for a really, really long time.”

Conrad told WGRZ the people of the region will continue to call it Lake Ontario, and urged others to do the same.

In a statement, a White House spokesperson pushed back against the criticism.

“As the president said yesterday, the majority of the great lake’s volume sits in United States territory,” the spokesperson told WIVB. “Thanks to President Trump’s bold action, its name will now reflect its place in America and her heritage.”

Lake Ontario is called sga:nyodai:yoh in the Seneca language, meaning “beautiful lake,” WGRZ reported.

Trump has also changed the name of Alaska’s Mount Denali, an indigenous name, to Mount McKinley after the 25th president of the United States.

He also renamed the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.

Aug. 20 (UPI) — Authorities in Delaware repeatedly called on Dover residents Thursday to “STAY HOME” after a likely tornado caused “significant” damage throughout the city.

The Dover Police Department declared “a state emergency” at 6:20 p.m. EDT, saying the city “likely experienced a tornado, with significant damage reported throughout parts of the city.”

“PLEASE STAY OFF THE ROADS AND STAY HOME!!!!!!” it said on Facebook.

The hardest-hit area of the city was the corridor of Division Street and Lockerman Street, it said without detailing specific damage incurred. Earlier, it said the storm downed numerous trees, caused flooding and other “storm-related damage.”

Power outages were also reported, it said.

“Our officers and emergency crews are working throughout the city,” the Dover Police Department said in a statement.

“The best thing you can do right now is stay home and give them room to work. Dover — please take this seriously. Stay home. Stay safe.”

Dover Motor Speedway, known for hosting NASCAR races, said that it appeared to have suffered no major damage, while stating it was hopeful that others in the community were safe and that no one was injured.

“We’ll continue to monitor the situation and plan to conduct a more thorough survey of the facility in the coming days,” the speedway said in a statement.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning that was in effect until 6:45 p.m. for the Delaware areas of Dover, Camden and Rodney.

It came as parts of the U.S. East Coast were expected to see torrential downpours and flash flooding over the weekend.