Holiday camp operator Pontins discriminated against Travellers by drawing up a list of “undesirable” Irish surnames, an investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has found.
It also said that Pontins were found to have instructed call centre staff to listen for Irish accents and then decline or cancel their bookings.
The EHRC said the company had committed “flagrant breaches of the Equality Act”.
The probe was launched after a whistleblower revealed in 2020 how the company had a list of Irish surnames it used to “screen out” bookings for its holiday parks.
The were 40 names on the list list including Boyle, Keefe, Gallagher, O’Donnell, McGuiness, Murphy, and O’Reilly.
The EHRC has ordered Pontins to apologise to the community and introduce equality training or the ECHR “will take action”.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the EHRC, said: “Our investigation into Pontins uncovered flagrant breaches of the Equality Act 2010.
“Their business practices demonstrated shocking overt race discrimination towards Irish Travellers and there was a culture of denial.
“We remain deeply concerned about these discriminatory practices.
“They were instigated and supported by senior managers and their leadership failed to take any action or accept corporate responsibility.
“Such unlawful and discriminatory behaviour is completely unacceptable, and it must never be tolerated.”
She added: “We hope this report communicates a strong message that discrimination can never be tolerated.
“We will take action against it. This may include launching an investigation.
“The report also highlights the discrimination that Gypsies and Travellers still face today.
“We hope this investigation represents a key step forward in making discrimination against Gypsies and Travellers unacceptable in Great Britain.”
Chris McDonagh, campaigns officer at Friends, Families and Travellers, said it was “deeply saddening that Irish Traveller people have become so used to hate and prejudice that the Pontins ‘blacklist’ did not come as a surprise”.
“Whilst we are certain that Pontins are not the only ones operating such discriminatory policies, we welcome the EHRC’s investigation and commend the whistleblower’s principled stance. Everyone deserves to live free from hate and prejudice,” he said.
Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd, owner of Pontins, said in a statement to Sky News: “We are in the process of reviewing the unlawful act notice and investigation report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
“The specific incidents reported by the EHRC are historic issues predating 2018.
“The call centre where the incidents took place has closed and the majority of the staff involved have now left Pontins.
“We apologise to all who may have been affected.
“Pontins is committed to ensuring ongoing compliance with the Equality Act 2010.”
Full list of names blacklisted by Pontins:
Boylan
Boyle
Carney
Carr
Cash
Connors
Corcoran
Delaney
Doherty
Dorran
Gallagher
Horan
Keefe
Kell
Leahy
Lee
MacLaughlin
McAlwick
McCully
McDonagh
McGinley
McGinn
McGuiness
McHarg
McLaughan
McMahon
Millighan
Mongans
Murphy
Nolan
O’Brien
O’Connell
O’Donnell
O’Donoghue
O’Mahoney
O’Reilly
Sheriadan
Stokes
Walch
Ward
