Pontins: holiday camp company discriminated against Irish Travellers with 'undesirable' surname list

Holiday camp company Pontins discriminated against the Irish Traveller community, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has said.

Pontins, owned by Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd, has been served with an "unlawful act notice" after an investigation by the EHRC found multiple incidences of the company discriminating against the community. The investigation was launched after a whistleblower contacted the equality watchdog in 2020.

This includes drafting a list of guest surnames, all of which were of Irish descent, and marking them as "undesirable" in a list posted to the company's intranet. Staff were also instructed to listen for Irish accents when speaking to customers and to cancel or decline their booking if they suspected were Irish Travellers. Pontins also introduced new booking rules which required guests over the age of 18 to be on the electoral roll, with Travellers often less likely to be registered on the roll.

The EHRC is demanding an apology from the holiday company and urging bosses to introduce equality training. Pontins could face legal action and criminal charges if action is not taken.

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: "Our investigation into Pontins uncovered flagrant breaches of the Equality Act 2010. Their business practices demonstrated shocking overt race discrimination towards Irish Travellers and there was a culture of denial.

"We remain deeply concerned about these discriminatory practices. They were instigated and supported by senior managers and their leadership failed to take any action or accept corporate responsibility. Such unlawful and discriminatory behaviour is completely unacceptable, and it must never be tolerated."

Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd, said in a statement: "We are in the process of reviewing the unlawful act notice and investigation report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The specific incidents reported by the EHRC are historic issues predating 2018.

"The call centre where the incidents took place has closed and the majority of the staff involved have now left Pontins. We apologise to all who may have been affected. Pontins is committed to ensuring ongoing compliance with the Equality Act 2010."