Legal action over holiday illness

The family said they suffered stomach pains and fever

A family who fell ill while on holiday in Egypt are taking legal action against a British travel company.

Kim and Kelvin Hickmore, from Bognor Regis, West Sussex, contracted stomach bugs while staying at the Holiday Village hotel in Sharm El Sheikh.

They and their two young children suffered symptoms fevers and diarrhoea.

The family are pursuing First Choice, which said a hygiene audit carried out during the Hickmore's stay found the hotel to be "above average".

Mrs Hickmore, 33, said: "It was awful. The abdominal pains were so severe I would compare them to labour pains."

'Limp and lifeless'

Her 11-month-old son Logan was admitted to hospital with the bug after three days of visits from the hotel doctor.

"By the time we arrived at the hospital, Logan was so ill that his eyes were rolling back," Mrs Hickmore said.

"He was just limp and lifeless. I honestly think the doctor at the hospital saved his life."

Lawyers Irwin Mitchell said they have had dozens of inquiries from other guests who have complained of similar symptoms after staying at the hotel in the past couple of months.

Clive Garner, head of travel law, said: "We are very concerned about the scale of the reported problems at the Holiday Village hotel.

At First Choice the health and safety of our customers is our primary concern First Choice spokeswoman

"We are very concerned that the health and welfare of British tourists has been put at risk and we will be pursuing claims for substantial damages on behalf of our clients."

A spokeswoman for First Choice said: "At First Choice the health and safety of our customers is our primary concern.

"We are sorry to hear that Master Logan was admitted to hospital and glad that he made a quick recovery. Our Holiday Village Manager visited the family on numerous occasions to offer support and assistance where and when required."

She said a full property audit took place on 12 June 2008 and nothing of undue concern was found.

"An additional hygiene audit took place on 20 June, 2008, during the Hickmore family's stay, and the property was rated as being above average," she added.

"The average temperatures in Egypt are currently 45 to 50 degrees, and this change in temperature and climate can have a negative impact on the well-being of guests - particularly children."

The spokeswoman added that First Choice had not yet been contacted by anyone in regard to taking legal action over the matter and only 12 guests, less than 1% of the hotel guest population, had reported any sickness in the last two weeks.

A spokesman for Irwin Mitchell added that it was as yet unknown what the illness was.