Brighton Holiday Homes goes bust with bookings cancelled
Holidaymakers say they have been left thousands of pounds out of pocket after a letting company ceased trading without notice.
In an email, Brighton Holiday Homes told customers their bookings had been cancelled and advised them to claim their money back through their banks. Jennie Nash paid £3,000 to the firm last week and said there had been "no mention of any potential problems". The company put a sign on its front door expressing "great regret". It read: "It is with great regret that due to the challenging economic conditions Brighton Holiday Homes has ceased trading with immediate effect." The firm, set up in 2008 by husband and wife team Neil and Michelle Stonehill, has not responded to any further questions by the BBC. Miss Nash had arranged a large house for herself, friends and family to celebrate her 30th birthday and hen do combined. Last week she was advised to pay off the remaining balance and said they were "happy to accept my money". She said: "I am now heartbroken. "Friends have booked travel from Newcastle and Yorkshire and have already forked out hundreds. For me to tell them I have potentially lost their money is horrific. "Something which is supposed to be one of the most exciting and special events of my life it turning into one of the most stressful and worrying." Another woman paid £4,500 for her daughter's hen do accommodation and a weekend of activities, including private chef and cocktail making class, only for it to be cancelled "without warning or apology". Sussex Police said it would not be investigating, as it is a civil matter. Brighton and Hove City Council said its trading standards team "have no plans" to investigate.