POPULAR holiday parks in Clacton will be given a share of a £1.5million investment.

Parkdean Resorts, which is the UK’s largest holiday park operator, has announced plans to pump £80million into its 67 camps across the country.

The substantial sum of cash will be the resort’s largest ever investment into its estate, and comes after a successful financial year.

In Essex, the company runs five sites - Highfield Grange, Valley Farm and Weeley Bridge, in Clacton, Naze Marine, in Walton, and Coopers Beach, on Mersea Island.

All of the county’s resorts are set to benefit from the injection of funds which will see the creation of new swimming facilities and play areas and the introduction of new arcade areas.

More than 50 new state-of-the-art caravans will be introduced, which will replace the ageing fleet currently accommodating guests.

Within the Valley Farm park, there will be a new indoor children’s play area and the improved arcade facilities will include a new virtual reality centre.

Clacton, Walton and Mersea Island’s parks will also be included in Parkdean’s plans to improve the internet services it offers across the country.

More than £13million has been set aside by the company to provide free high-speed Wi-Fi in every caravan and lodge.

The boost in funds will also create more job opportunities with several roles across sales, food and beverages and housekeeping currently being advertised.

During the seasonal periods, Parkdean Resorts employs more than 450 workers across the five Essex resorts, but following the investment, this could now increase.

Steve Richards, chief executive of Parkdean Resorts, praised the hard work of his award-winning company’s employees and called on job hunters driven to provide the same level of service to sign up. He said: “Our success is down to the passion of our teams in helping to deliver great holiday experiences for our customers.”