Family of 13 win £30,000 payout from Thomson after ELEVEN of them suffered crippling illness on dream Sharm el Sheikh break
Family claim poor food hygiene at five star resort was to blame for stomach bug
A FAMILY of 13 has won a £30,000 payout from Thomson after 11 of them were struck down by a crippling stomach bug during the holiday of a lifetime in a five star resort.
Retired couple Brian and Pamela Pilling had organised a luxury family break to Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, with the holiday giant – but five days into the getaway disaster struck.
Brian, 69, said: "When I woke up early on the fifth day of the holiday feeling sick with stomach pains I thought at first it would just be a day thing, a little gastric upset but wow was I wrong.
"I spent all morning on the toilet fortunate that there was a sink right next to it so I could just lean over it – I couldn't keep anything down.
"In the end, we had to ask the hotel doctor to visit. He immediately put me on an intravenous rehydration with antibiotics and paracetamol.
"The following morning, everyone else all started dropping like flies to varying degrees, with Pam joining me as being one of the worst hit.”
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The family ran up large medical bills, with both Brian and Pamela put on drips as they became increasingly dehydrated.
Many of the party were so ill they could not return to work on their return.
Brian and his wife even had to cancel a trip to France planned for the next month as doctors felt they were to weak to travel.
The family has been awarded a £29,850 settlement from Thomson after appointing personal injury lawyers.
In total retired labourer Brian said the family spent £17,000 on the break in August 2015 but were left further out of pocket by paying doctors fees.
He said the family had hoped for a dream break with visits to the beach and the pool as well as camel trekking and quad biking.
But instead, their trip was ruined as all but two of the party fell ill.
Brian said: "When I retired at 66 I decided to pay for all of the family to stay in a five star hotel in Turkey.
"It was a fantastic holiday and was the first time we had all been together in such luxury.
"Everyone enjoyed themselves so much that they wanted to do it again, but obviously I could not afford to pay for it all again so they all scrimped and saved, going without a lot of comforts to save up for the holiday in Egypt.
"We were all so excited thinking it would be as much fun as the Turkey holiday. The anticipation was unbelievable.
"Our biggest worry was the mosquitos, but this turned out to be the least of our problems.”
"The holiday was a great disappointment devastated by illness and I wish we had never gone.
"One very expensive holiday ruined."
Brian, of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, has claimed the family’s illness was caused by poor food hygiene at the Sea Club Resort hotel.
He said: "All the food seemed to be of quite good quality but my son-in-law spotted some chicken that still looked pink at the BBQ.
"As the area was dimly lit, we only noticed the colour of the meat after most of the family had already eaten.
"We were also concerned by the number of sparrows flying around and in the beach restaurant.
"Although the restaurant was covered and surrounded by netting, the birds had an entrance to fly in and out of and were always seen around any uncovered food."
Solicitor Sue Robinson, from law firm Your Holiday Claims, handled all 13 claims for compensation and secured a settlement of £29,850 in total.
Sue said: "I am overjoyed that I was able to help Brian, Pamela and their family obtain compensation after such a dreadful experience at the Sea Club Resort.
"Throughout 2015 and 2016, we were inundated with enquiries from stricken Sea Club guests.
"Many had suffered gastric illness symptoms, like the Pillings, and faced out of pocket expenses for medical care or missed days at work on their return home.
"I would strongly urge anyone who has suffered from illness on a package holiday at this resort within the last three years to come forward and contact Your Holiday Claims."
A spokesman for Thomson said the company does not comment on settlements.
In August a couple revealed that they each lost a stone in weight after becoming caught up in a horror sickness outbreak in Mexico.
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