Mum's heartbreak after realising dream family holiday was nothing but a con

A single mum-of-four arrived at a holiday park with her children - only to find the caravan she thought she'd booked had other guests inside.

Nicola Smith, 34, then realised she'd been scammed - and was forced to sleep in her car for the night with her kids as nearby hotels were full. She has now spoken out to angrily slam the fraudsters and warn other families, saying: "How could someone do that to a single mother?"

Nicola drove 58 miles from her home in Cheshire with her four children to enjoy a summer trip for the first time in two years – only to discover she’d been tricked.

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Nicola told how she found an eight-berth caravan for rent last month on Facebook, paying a private individual £500 to use it at Lyons Winkups Holiday Park in Towyn, Wales. She claims to have paid the owner for a week’s stay with her children; Keisha, 16, Camron, 14, Isla, eight, and Faith, four.

The family travelled from Nantwich, Cheshire, to the caravan site on August 17 – where their holiday hell soon began. Nicola was shocked when she discovered the caravan she had booked was occupied by other guests. "We were supposed to get the key to the caravan from a lock box but the code didn't work," Nicola said.

"The lights were on and we looked through the window and there were suitcases in there. I went to reception and they called the owner who said they'd never heard of me. When I realised it was a scam, I felt sick to my stomach.

"It was about 9.30pm and all hotels in the area were fully booked. I had to park in a car park, put the seats down and sleep with my kids in there. It's lucky we had blankets. I had to keep the engine running all night to keep warm.