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11 April 2014 09:15
A family received a £7,000 payout after suffering from a gastric bug on holiday in Turkey
A man has been awarded £7,000 in compensation by a holiday operator after his entire family was hit by gastric illness on holiday in Turkey.
Jim Nixon, his wife Anthea and their three young children were struck down by severe sickness, diarrhoea and stomach cramps while staying at the Holiday Village resort in Sarigerme in 2009.
They were among nearly 600 people who received part of a total of £1.7 million in a settlement with First Choice Holidays.
Among the conditions reported by the family included faeces in the swimming pools. Mr Nixon also raised concerns about food hygiene, saying he noticed food was being served warm not hot and staff were not cleaning their hands after handling food.
Nr Nixon's three-year-old daughter Keira could not leave the hotel room for five days and needed antibiotics. Meanwhile his sons Rhys and Jake - aged seven and 12 respectively - suffered acute gastroenteritis for nearly two months.
More than 100 people, including children, fell ill with conditions including salmonella and E-Coli during their stay.
Mr Nixon said: "We have never experienced anything so bad. We were only there a week and we spent most of our time in the room. It's not what you expect on a £2,500 holiday."
The family's unfortunate experience highlights the importance of having decent travel insurance no matter what the cost of the holiday.
Specialist travel lawyers Irwin Mitchell secured the payout for holidaymakers, including 160 children, from across the UK who had come down with severe illness at the resort.
First Choice Holiday said they were unable to comment on the settlements.
The Holiday Village resort was featured on BBC's Watchdog programme shortly after the Nixons' stay.
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