BRITAIN'S Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has launched an investigation into Pontins holiday parks over continued concerns about discrimination against Gypsies and Travellers.
It was claimed that Pontins used an 'undesirable' guest list containing common Irish surnames and refused or cancelled bookings by people suspected of being Gypsies or Travellers.
As a result, Pontins' owner, Britannia Jinky Jersey Limited, entered into a 12-month legal agreement with the EHRC.
However, the regulator has now ended the agreement after not being satisfied that Pontins was taking the required steps to prevent unlawful race discrimination or meet its commitments under the agreement.
'Failure to comply'
"We are concerned that Pontins may have illegally denied Gypsy and Traveller families the simple pleasure of a holiday," said Marcial Boo, CEO of the EHRC.
"Any business that refuses to provide services to guests due to their race or ethnic group is likely to be breaking equality law.
"We signed a legally-binding agreement with Pontins last year. We expected that to address our concerns about discriminatory behaviour.
"The company's failure to comply has left us with no choice but to use stronger enforcement powers to investigate further.
"The EHRC will continue to use all legal powers at its disposal to ensure that no-one experiences racism, whether at a holiday park or elsewhere, simply because of their name, ethnicity or the community they belong to."
Investigation
The EHRC's investigation will consider whether Pontins has committed unlawful acts under the Equality Act 2010.
Investigators will look at whether Pontins committed race discrimination against Gypsy and Traveller guests, prospective guests or their associates in how it provides its services.
They will also examine whether the company's booking policies directly or indirectly discriminate on the basis of race, given that it requires prospective guests to on the electoral register.
Finally, the EHRC will look at whether Pontins' intelligence, information and record-keeping systems are operating in a way that discriminates directly or indirectly on the basis of race.
The investigation, which got underway on Thursday, is expected to last several months.
