A mother has described her horror after discovering a 12-inch knife down the side of a bed in a Haven caravan where children were staying. Sarah Buckley, a 40-year-old medical technician from Thurrock, Essex, said the incident occurred on July 3 at Haven Orchards Holiday Village in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, during a girls' trip with three friends and three children aged three, four, and seven.
Buckley said one of her friends alerted her to the black-handled knife, which she believed was from the kitchen drawer. A member of staff retrieved the item, and Buckley reported the find at reception the following day. She lodged a formal complaint and, after initially being offered vouchers, accepted an £80 cash refund.
Discovery in the kids' bedroom
Buckley said the group had been at the caravan for only ten minutes when the discovery was made. "We were all absolutely horrified to be honest," she said. "One of the ladies that was with us, she went in one of the bedrooms that the kids had picked to check all the covers."
She described how her friend moved the beds slightly and spotted the knife down the side. "I'd gone in there, and she's holding the knife, and I was like, 'where on earth has that come from?'," Buckley said. "Before she picked it up she had taken photos of where it was and it was down the side of the bed against the wall."
Concerns for child safety
Buckley estimated the knife was about 30cm from handle to tip. "If they [the children] had gone down the side of the bed I can't begin to imagine [what could have happened]," she said. "They're not daft kids but it still wouldn't stop them from picking it up and trying to bring it out to one of us and say 'look what I found'."
She added: "Then it only takes one of the other ones to run into them. It could have ended extremely badly, it could have been horrific."
Complaint and response
Buckley said she rang reception immediately and a staff member collected the knife. After complaining, she said Haven offered £70 in park vouchers to be used within six months, which she described as feeling "false and scripted". She said the family would still like a full refund and acknowledgment of the incident.
A Haven spokesperson said: "As soon as the issue was brought to our attention, the item was removed from the caravan. We apologised to the family and offered a resolution, which has been accepted."
