Britons ditch seaside donkeys and puppet shows

Say farewell to Punch and Judy. Forget donkey rides and saucy postcards.

The attractions of a traditional seaside holiday in Britain are fading fast, according to a survey published yesterday.

Holidaymakers would rather relax at a spa, try their hand at extreme sports or head for a theme park.

And the generation gap is widening all the time.

Teletext Holidays surveyed 2,500 Britons and divided their soundings into the over 60s and the under 30s.

For 60 per cent of the young, visiting a traditional beach resort was considered to be distinctly unfashionable.