Greek Wedding Ruined When Bride And Groom Suffered Illness

A group of more than 60 holidaymakers have now instructed expert international personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate an outbreak of Cryptosporidium at the Marelen Hotel on the Greek island of Zante.

Among the group were Gemma Tepper, 32, her partner Lee, 36, and their daughter Sylvie, three. Gemma and Lee travelled to Zante to get married in August and stayed at the hotel with a number of their guests.

The bride and groom, as well as more than half of their guests, suffered severe gastric illness during their breaks, with many of them diagnosed with Cryptosporidium on their return to the UK.

Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite which causes severe gastric symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting and is often spread through contaminated water in swimming pools.

Jatinder Paul, an Associate Solicitor and expert international personal injury lawyer for Irwin Mitchell, representing the group, which continues to grow, said:

Expert Opinion

“Cryptosporidium is caused be a microscopic parasite and it can have serious and long-term health implications for those affected.

“We now represent more than 50 people who were impacted by the Cryptosporidium outbreak at the Marelen hotel with more enquiries coming in daily. We have launched our own investigations into the circumstances of the problems they suffered during holidays booked through Thomas Cook.

“We have now heard from many of our clients that there were problems with faeces in the swimming pool at the hotel and many of them believe this issue was not dealt with as thoroughly as it could have been.

“It is deeply concerning to have had so many people come forward suffering with the same illness who stayed at the hotel around the same time.

“We would encourage anyone who has stayed at Marelen Hotel and has since experienced gastric symptoms, to see their GP at the earliest available opportunity. We would also like to speak with them as they may be able to help with our investigations.

“There also needs to be a clear understanding by Thomas Cook as to why this has happened and reassurances that, if not already done so, steps are being taken to try and prevent the same thing happening again.” Jatinder Paul - Partner

Gemma and Lee, from Pontefract, West Yorkshire, were both forced to take time off work as a result of the illness they suffered, which continued to affect them on their return to the UK. Tests confirmed Gemma was suffering from Cryptosporidium.

Many of their wedding guests were also invited to a party in the UK on their return from Greece but 18 were unable to attend due to the on-going symptoms they were suffering.

Gemma, a transport administration clerk, said: “When we both started suffering illness on our wedding day we just put it down to being nervous, but we quickly realised it was a lot more than that when the symptoms continued for the next few days.

“We were both still suffering when we got back home and had to take time off work.

“The most upsetting part of this is that a lot of our wedding guests ended up suffering the same problems and all we will remember from what was supposed to be an amazing day is everyone feeling unwell.

“Our party for our family and friends when we got back home was also affected as people still weren’t feeling 100 per cent. We weren’t shocked when we heard other people at the hotel were ill too and we want to know what caused our illness and why more wasn’t done to protect people.”

If you or a loved one has suffered an illness whilst in a hotel abroad, our accident and illness abroad claims team could help you to secure compensation. See ourHotel Illness Claims page for more information.