MY advice to anyone making a private holiday booking is to be careful.

My wife and I, both pensioners, decided on a caravan holiday in Wales.

One we saw advertised in a national newspaper seemed suitable and we phoned the owner to make a booking.

On arriving at the site after a long journey we were not too impressed, but because we had had a trip and it being a nice evening, we agreed on the week's rental.

The following morning we discovered many faults - extensive dampness freshly covered with paint and paper, rotten old floor, filthy kitchen appliances, no proper security on the windows or door, and a broken bed. I could go on for much more.

We were very disappointed and decided that two nights were enough. The caravan definitely did not fit the advertised description. It was disgusting.

On termination, the faults were pointed out to the owner. No money was offered back. We were met with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.

It was a costly, disappointing experience for us both. But had we booked with an agency, our complaint could have been followed up. So beware.

WILLIAM HUNT, Haslingden Road, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.