A couple soon to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary were devastated after Butlin’s cancelled a family break at the last minute.

Phil and Denise O’Hara, from Sheerness, paid just under £5,000 for a party of 26 to celebrate their ruby wedding anniversary on New Year’s Eve.

The group was due to go to the Bognor Regis resort on Saturday, December 30, for three nights but last Wednesday the couple was told their trip had been cancelled.

Mother-of-four Mrs O’Hara, 59, said: “We had a call from David at Sheerness Travel, who we booked the break through, saying he’d received a letter addressed to us to say Butlin’s had cancelled our holiday.

“David had tried his best to resolve it but he wasn’t able to. He was gobsmacked and so were we.

“The letter said it had been cancelled because not all members of our group were on the electoral roll.”

Mr and Mrs O’Hara, who live at Sheerness Holiday Park, had booked the break in January and made three substantial payments.

Mrs O’Hara said: “I can’t understand why Butlin’s didn’t say they wanted any other information when the holiday was booked.

“Surely then, or the other times we’ve made payments, they could have asked for more, if that’s a requirement.

“Even if we did send proof of addresses and photo IDs, it still wouldn’t be guaranteed their decision would be retracted.”

She added: “My husband and brother were at Butlin’s on the first weekend of November for my son Shaun’s stag do.

“There were 20 of them and their names weren’t checked against the electoral roll.

“If this is part of Butlin’s terms and conditions, they should apply it for every booking, not just at Christmas. It’s disgusting.

“It’s not even a given law to have to be on the electoral roll – you can opt out.”

The couple paid for the holiday as a treat for their family. “We were all so excited, especially the children,” Mrs O’Hara said. “It left me devastated.”

“We were all so excited, especially the children. It left me devastated” - Mrs O'Hara

Mrs O’Hara said this past year had been particularly hard as she lost her brother and mum within 10 months.

“This break was going to be a nice uplift for us to see in the New Year,” she said. “But they left us with just four weeks to find something else.”

The couple have managed to book the Village Hotel, Maidstone, for a meal followed by a bowling at the Hollywood Bowl.

“It’s obviously not going to be the same, but at least we’re going to be together,” Mrs O’Hara said.

A statement from Butlin's said it was never nice to cancel breaks but it never compromised when it came to safety and security.

"We have refunded the guests and are obviously disappointed that they won't be joining us," it added.