A Nottinghamshire family's holiday to Cape Verde was allegedly ruined by illness. Lesley and Grant Breed, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, are part of a group of 46 holidaymakers seeking legal action against operator TUI.
The lawyers representing the group said families' holidays had been ruined after being struck down with gastric illness across two hotels on the island of Sal. TUI said it regularly audited the health and safety of all its hotels.
Mr and Mrs Breed, both aged 53, travelled to the African islands on July 26 along with their 15-year-old son Finn and stayed at the Melia Dunas Resort. "We couldn’t wait to get to the hotel, particularly after an eight-hour wait at the airport on the way out," recalled Lesley.
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"But our holiday went from bad to worse. We all fell ill, and I’m not surprised when I recall the undercooked meat at the restaurant and the poor hygiene. I remember phoning housekeeping twice for basic essentials such as toilet paper and water, but still had to end up going to reception myself. If they can’t get the basics right, it’s no wonder the hotel is in the state it is."
Irwin Mitchell, who are representing the 46 holidaymakers, said any potential legal action would be directed at TUI, which the stays at hotels Melia Dunas Resort and Sol Dunas were booked through. Sarita Sharma, a solicitor in the international serious injury team, said it was very concerning to hear of the reported illnesses.
"Their holidays, which they had been looking forward to for a long time, were ruined when they were struck down with gastric illness. The symptoms that our clients have suffered should never be downplayed as, in some cases, they can result in long-term health problems.
“It is also concerning that our clients were aware of many others who suffered with similar illness, we understand that the numbers affected are even higher so we would be interested in speaking to anyone who may have been impacted by illness at this hotel who would be able to assist with our investigations."
A spokesperson for TUI said: “We are sorry to hear of these experiences at the Sol Dunas and Melia Dunas Hotels. As this is now a legal matter, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time. We’d like to reassure customers that we regularly audit all of our hotels in respect to health and safety, including hygiene.”
Melia Hotels has been approached for comment.
