Things went from bad-to-worse for the family after their trip to Haven's Devon Cliffs Holiday Park in Exmouth, when the bites forced the stepdad to shave his hair just four weeks before his wedding14:07, 27 Jul 2026Updated 14:09, 27 Jul 2026A family's summer holiday turned into a nightmare after a stepdad woke up "covered in 120 bites" at a Haven holiday park.‌Families up and down the country will be setting off on their summer breaks, but they are not always the idyllic experiences holidaymakers would imagine.‌Terry Stockford, his fiancée Jemma Higgs and two of her children headed to Haven's Devon Cliffs Holiday Park in Exmouth, Devon. But things quickly took a turn for the worse when they were warned there was an ant infestation in their room.‌Terry, 43, says that Jemma, 39, and the kids stayed in the car due to the extent of the infestation. He braved the caravan on the night on July 13, but he perhaps wishes that he hadn't.The stepdad says he was covered "head to toe" in bites while bed bugs were "absolutely everywhere" in the room.‌Terry and Jemma complained to reception and were offered a refund and moved to a different caravan. But Terry claims the second accommodation featured vile stains on the pillows and floor, cobwebs and broken curtains.He says the holiday left them "in tears" and they will never stay at a Haven resort again.A Haven spokesperson apologised "for the issues the family experienced during their holiday with us". They admitted pest control had to be called where bed bugs were identified.‌The electrician visited a local walk-in clinic where doctors allegedly told him they had "never seen bed bug bites like it in 40 years".He was prescribed antibiotics for the bites but the medication meant that Terry, who is the only one that could drive, wasn't medically fit to drive the family home.‌The family was therefore forced to prolong their stay at the resort until he was fit to drive home. Haven let them stay longer at the resort free of charge while offering a full refund and £200 worth of vouchers to spend on-site.Terry, from Oxford, said: "We were told there was an ant problem and not to use one of the bedrooms as they were bad and if they spread we should call the maintenance and he would put repellent down."We did this, but it didn't work so Jemma and the children slept in my car that night. I slept in the double bed and woke up the next morning to around 120 bed bug bites covering me from head to toe.‌"If the kids would have stayed there then they would have been bitten as well – luckily it was just me that got bitten."Myself and Jemma wanted to leave but the children were very sad so we made the decision to stay."‌Haven said they took immediate action when pest control confirmed the presence of bed bugs. They say they were not aware that members of the family had slept in the car.Things went from bad to worse for Terry and Jemma when the medication was prescribed meant he couldn't drive the family home. To rub insult to injury, bites were so severe that he had to completely shave off his hair and beard - four weeks before the couple were due to get married.Terry continued: "The pest control man said he'd never seen anything like it.‌"Me and Jemma were in tears - all we wanted to do is go home, but because I couldn't drive because of my medication, what did they expect me to do."We had to stay longer than the original holiday was meant to be, but it was a holiday from hell."‌Terry says what the family encountered at the holiday park was 'disgusting' and he will never stay at a Haven holiday park again.A Haven spokesperson said: "We are deeply sorry for the issues the family experienced during their holiday with us."As soon as these concerns were brought to our attention, we took immediate action to relocate the family to alternative accommodation.Article continues below"An independent pest control specialist has since inspected and treated the caravan. We have continued to provide a great deal of support to the family throughout their stay."