VIDEO: Sheffield family taking legal action over 'holiday from hell' in Turkey

A Sheffield family is taking legal action after they fell badly ill during a holiday from hell at a five-star resort in Turkey.
The resort.The resort.
The resort.

Ian McGovern, aged 24, of Gleadless Valley, revealed how he and his partner Sharni Bishop, aged 23, suffered sickness, diarrhoea and severe stomach cramps towards the end of their first family holiday together with Ellie-Mae, five, and Samantha, four, at the Paloma Grida Resort and Spa.

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The resort.The resort.
The resort.

Their illness was so bad that Ian still had symptoms up to two weeks after they got back from the trip in May and he had to take time off work from his job as a part-time carer.

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Another family from Glasgow and a man from Coventry also fell ill while staying at the same resort, and together they have all instructed Sheffield-based law firm Irwin Mitchell to look into the case to gain answers and see if more could have been done to prevent it.

Ian said: "This was our first family holiday altogether, so we had been looking forward to it for a long time.

"While we had seen some issues which concerned us like some of the food sometimes seemingly being reheated and cats on occasions lurking around the restaurant, we never thought for one second we were at risk of illness.

A meal at the hotel.A meal at the hotel.
A meal at the hotel.

“The sickness hit Sharni and I really hard and it was really tough to get any enjoyment out of the last few days. The kids were understandably upset about what was going on and it was really disappointing to then see the illness continue on our return to the UK.

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“You never expect that something like this will happen to you and we are hugely frustrated by what has gone on."

Jayne Murphy, a legal expert at Irwin Mitchell who is representing the families, said: “We are hugely concerned by the reports provided to us by our clients and have already commenced investigations into what they have been through.

An image of a meal at the hotel.An image of a meal at the hotel.
An image of a meal at the hotel.

“A case of this kind highlights the significant impact that gastric illness can have on those affected, not only spoiling precious family time abroad but also then affecting their lives back in the UK too.

“Tour operators and resorts have key responsibilities when it comes to hygiene and health and safety, so we will be examining whether lessons can be learned from this case which will ultimately improve standards.”

The holidays were booked through Thomas Cook.

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A spokeswoman for the travel operator apologised to the family and added: "We did all we could to assist the family in resort. We take all reports of illness seriously and are investigating this case thoroughly with the hotel.”

The hotel has been asked for comment and we are waiting for a reply.