Dad gobsmacked after being quoted £71,000 for one week holiday in Cornwall
A DAD claims he was quoted £71,000 for a week's stay at holiday home in Cornwall.
Paul Nickerson thought it was a "mistake" when his search for a three-bedroom holiday home in St Ives for his family led to him being quoted double the average UK annual wage.
Paul, a Tory councillor from Beverley, East Yorkshire, had hoped to take his three sons, all aged under five, to one Cornwall's most-loved beaches during the August summer break.
After looking around, Paul stumbled across the perfect property - the problem was it cost £10,232 a night.
"Everything I have seen is about 50% more than their normal price," he said.
"We have a young family so we normally do have a UK staycation as it’s easier. But it’s normally affordable for a family, but this was shocking."
"I thought it must have been a mistake, but having checked other properties, it is clear it isn’t, as they’re all far more."
The dad-of-three accused holiday home owners and firms of exploiting a shortage in available accommodation.
"It’s a supply and demand issue and they’re exploiting it," he said.
"A lot of people in the UK need and want a holiday, but many will not be able to afford them.
"I don’t know anyone who can afford £71,000 for a week’s holiday."
An advert described the St Ives home as a "contemporary, reserve level property ideas for families" with a specious garden "ideal for children and BBQ’s".
It boasts being furnished "to an exceptional standard" and being within 200m of St Ives' train station and 10 minutes to a wonderful largely deserted beach.
Most read in Travel
The house is located a stone throw's away from where this year's G7 summit took place.
Leaders from the top seven economies across the globe met in sandy St Ives to discuss tax havens and how to deal with Russia and China.
Among those attending was US president Joe Biden and his wife Jill, who spent an afternoon walking the shoreline with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, wife Carrie Symonds and their one-year-old boy Wilfred.
Paul has given up his search for an affordable Cornwall home and is considering a camping trip in East Yorkshire's South Bay instead.