Illness Abroad Claim

A couple from Dorset are taking legal action after they were left feeling abandoned, intimidated and in need of hospital treatment while on holiday in the Dominican Republic.

Janet and John Cox were staying at the Barcelo Dominican Beach Hotel in Punta Cana. Just days into their stay Janet started to suffer sickness, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. She was rushed to hospital and placed on a drip.

The couple called their tour operator, First Choice, on numerous occasions to ask for early flights home. Their requests were turned down and First Choice wouldn’t help unless the hotel agreed to pay half the cost. The couple were eventually moved to another hotel but claim that it was just as bad.

The couple were also intimidated by drunken arguments late at night and discovered sewage leaking onto hotel pathways.

Mrs Cox described conditions at the hotel as “appalling” and reported hot food piled on top of cold and left uncovered. Mrs Cox said “there was just a general lack of concern for hygiene.”

Mark Watts of Irwin Mitchell is representing the couple. He said: “Such a disregard for a client’s health and safety is simply unacceptable. Tour operators have a duty to ensure that the hotels and resorts they send their clients to meet the standards that are in place for a very good reason.”