( CNN ) -- When a couple left scathing comments on a travel review website that a hotel in northern England they had stayed at was a `` filthy , dirty rotten stinking hovel , '' they thought no more about it . But Tony and Jan Jenkinson were shocked later to see an extra Â£100 ( $ 156 ) added to their credit card bill . On investigating the couple found they had been fined by Broadway Hotel in the seaside resort of Blackpool , which reportedly told them its policy was to charge guests who had left bad reviews . The pair , from Whitehaven in Cumbria , wrote on TripAdvisor they chose the hotel because it had `` ample parking , '' but the car park was so full they had to park at a nearby hotel . Jenkinson , 63 , said he `` could n't believe the state of the room , '' which cost Â£36 ( $ 56 ) a night . `` The hot tap did n't work , when we reported it we were told they knew about it and it would be fixed in the morning ( we were only there for one night . ) `` The drawer fronts fell off when we opened the chest of drawers . Again , they knew about this and it was supposed to be dealt with in the morning . '' `` The wallpaper was peeling off the walls , the carpet was thin , dirty and stained . The bed was something else , it must have come out of the ark , the base was all scuffed and dirty and the springs in the mattress attacked you in the night . '' Jenkinson complained about the fine to local trading standards officers , who passed the complaint on to Blackpool Council . Gillian Campbell , cabinet member responsible for public protection , said : `` Our trading standards team became aware of this issue last week . As a result , we have spoken to the hotel owner and asked for the policy to be removed , which has now happened . '' `` This is a unique case and not one that we have come across before . '' Jenkinson told the BBC he would fight to get his money refunded , adding : `` Annoyed is n't strong enough for how I feel about this , what happened to freedom of speech ? `` Everybody we have spoken to says they ( the hotel ) are not allowed to do this . '' CNN was unable to contact the manager of the hotel for comment . In a statement , TripAdvisor said it deplored the practice of fining its users . `` While thankfully such instances are very rare , it is completely against the spirit and policies of our site for any business owner to attempt to bully or intimidate reviewers who have had a negative experience . `` Where we find evidence of a business doing so , we will take action to protect the integrity of our site . ''
Hotel in northern England fines guest who left bad review on website . Tony Jenkinson said he `` could n't believe the state of the room '' He complained about the fine to local trading standards officers , who intervened . TripAdvisor said it deplored the practice of fining its users .