Salmonella Food Poisoning

A couple are taking legal action after their anniversary getaway in the Maldives was ruined by salmonella food poisoning.

Lesley Hocking contracted salmonella while at the Summer Island Village in the Maldives, where she was celebrating her silver wedding anniversary with husband Kenneth.

Five months on Lesley is still suffering symptoms and said: “This was a seriously awful holiday. The staff just did not support you and you felt so isolated and that you were just a nuisance for being ill.”

The Hockings were not alone in falling ill at the resort. Scott and Leanne Bessant from South Wales also contracted salmonella while at the Summer Island Village.

Scott, a Wales A rugby league international, lost a stone and a half in less than a week. His illness meant he missed a chance to join a training squad with Super League side Celtic Crusaders.

Scott says the illness means he has missed out on the chance to become a full-time professional rugby league player. “I get so angry whenever I think about what happened in the Maldives,” he said. “It should have been a dream holiday for us both – it ended up being a complete disaster.”

Guests had to cope with the water being cut off which left them unable to flush the toilets.

A number of holidaymakers are also taking legal action after being struck down by illness at the resort. Irwin Mitchell Solicitors are handling a number of compensation claims for people struck down by salmonella and other illnesses.

Amandeep Dhillon, a travel law expert at the firm said: “In many cases we find these illness outbreaks are as a result of a fundamental failure to ensure that basic health and hygiene procedures are correctly implemented by the hotel owner and properly enforced by the UK tour operator.

“Cosmos need to look very closely at what happened here and ensure lessons are learned to ensure no future guests have their holidays ruined like this.”