'BARGAIN' holidays offered by some Blackpool travel agents have been exposed as a scam following a swoop by trading standards officers.

The move comes after Trading Standards officers in the resort joined forces with colleagues from Greater Manchester and Blackburn to investigate whether the details outlined in shop window holiday ad cards were genuine.

They found that more than 70 per cent of the ads were misleading with holidays containing "hidden extras" such as security fees and under occupancy rates.

It was also revealed that 40 per cent of the holidays had risen in price and 36 per cent of them were no longer available.

The resort came out worst with 21 holidays out of the 22 investigated coming up as factually incorrect, though it did not identify any particular company.

Principle Trading Standards Officer for Blackpool Borough Council, Alan Smith, who conducted the Blackpool operation says many 'bargain holiday ' customers are in for a nasty surprise when they find themselves abroad.

He said: "Often potential holidaymakers are enticed by the scores of ad cards displayed in travel agency windows.

"These offer cut price holidays to many of our favourite resorts such as Benidorm, Tenerife, Ibiza or Lanzarote and seems to be a fantastic deal when you are standing by a shop front.

"But many people who take advantage of these offers go abroad on a shoe-string and are not prepared the endless list of hidden extras which add a considerable amount to the original price quoted.

"Potential customers need to be aware that these agencies are blatantly contravening the ABTA code of conduct and consumer protection laws."

For further information, or to report a bogus bargain holiday contact Blackpool Trading Standards on 478395.