A STRETHAM family has been promised a 50 per cent refund and another holiday after complaining to a major tour operator about one of its popular resorts. But Amanda Humphreys and her two children are refusing to accept the offer after claiming they had a

A STRETHAM family has been promised a 50 per cent refund and another holiday after complaining to a major tour operator about one of its popular resorts.

But Amanda Humphreys and her two children are refusing to accept the offer after claiming they had a miserable three-night break in a "filthy" apartment.

Mrs Humphreys said she was appalled by the state of the accommodation at the Butlins' resort in Bognor Regis, West Sussex.

She complained that the carpets were black, windows were dirty and railings outside the apartments were "rotting away".

"We had a really miserable time," she said. "My children's feet were black from the carpets and I couldn't let them take off their shoes.

"All the pavements outside were stained with a sugary substance. The eyelets to the curtains were corroded and rusting away.

"When I complained they moved us to another apartment but that was crawling with ants and the carpets were still dirty.

Mrs Humphreys, of Kitson Gardens, had gone to the resort at Bognor Regis, West Sussex with her two children, aged six and four, and a friend and her six-year-old daughter. They had booked a half-board break for £412.

But after letters and numerous phone calls of complaint to Hertfordshire-based Bourne Leisure, which runs the resort, she claims the offer of compensation is not enough.

"I didn't expect it to be glamorous accommodation and gourmet food," she said, "but I did expect it to be clean. The food was pretty basic and it was organised chaos in the dining room. There was no queuing system and it was like a stampede. You took your life in your hands.

"I don't live like this and I don't expect my children to live like this. For many families in this country this is the only holiday they can afford. Why should they be expected to put up with this?"

Mrs Humphreys asked for a 75 per cent refund and a three-night stay in the company's 'gold' accommodation but her request was refused.

A Bourne Leisure spokesman said: "We have spent three days trying to help Mrs Humphreys and we feel we have done as much as we can. We have made our final offer."

Defending the resort, he said: "A survey carried on for the week that Mrs Humphreys stayed at the resort showed that 96.9 per cent of people thought the holiday was value for money and 93.5 per cent would be likely to rebook.

"The quality of the dining room was rated as satisfactory by 98 per cent of people and 88 per cent were satisfied with the accommodation.

"Immediately after Mrs Humphreys complained we contacted environmental health and an officer inspected the resort."

A spokesman for Arun District Council's environmental health department said: "At the time of our visit the rooms were found to be in a satisfactory condition and no action was needed on the part of the environmental health department.

"The issues relating to the exterior pathway and the railings were not raised, however, as part of the original complaint so an officer will return to inspect the condition of these.