Couple Take Legal Action After Illness Caused By Substandard Egyptian Resort

A Scottish woman fighting long-term illness is taking legal action against a tour operator after a trip to Egypt caused further health problems for her and her husband.

Richard and Patricia Titheridge had travelled to Egypt for a week in November 2009 to enjoy a period of remission for Patricia from a serious virus.

The couple had been scheduled to stay at an all-inclusive five-star resort in Sharm el Sheikh but their booking was changed to the Shores Amphoras 3 months before they were due to travel.

The Shores Amphoras resort was meant to be of the same standard as the hotel originally chosen by the couple, but unhygienic conditions there meant Richard endured almost three weeks of acute gastric illness, whilst Patricia’s trip was ruined by a severe asthma attack apparently caused by insecticide fumes in their bedroom.

The couple, from Blairgowrie in Scotland, has appointed travel law experts at Irwin Mitchell to take action against tour operator Fleetway Travel PLC.  They say the problems began immediately when they found their room had not been properly cleaned and facilities were dirty and unhygienic.

Patricia said: “The holiday, if you can call it that, that we ended up on was entirely different from the one we were sold. We booked an all-inclusive stay however we were made to pay for drinks and at times even meals, which looked as though they had been sitting out for days.

“Towards the end of the week the air conditioning in our room broke down entirely and on one occasion we had no running water. My husband was taken ill while we were there and suffered unpleasant symptoms for almost three weeks.

“One morning the staff fumigated our room to deal with the terrible mosquito problem, however after we were told it was safe to return we found it had not aired properly and I had a severe asthma attack due to the fumes. It was very distressing for us both, particularly as I was looking forward to a enjoying a bit of luxury after being so unwell for the last couple of years.

”I’m really disappointed with the response we have had from Fleetway, who have done nothing to acknowledge their fault in the matter despite continued attempts on our part. They offered us a nominal sum of money which I find very insulting, as really I would like them to accept that they were to blame for sending us to a substandard resort and caused us a great deal of unnecessary ill-health and trauma.”

Amandeep Dhillon, travel lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Tour operators have a responsibility to their clients to deliver the level of service they promise and Fleetway have neglected their obligation in this case.

“It is entirely unacceptable for a company to ignore the health and welfare of its clients in this manner.  We suspect that many other people have been affected by poor conditions at this resort and may feel let down by their travel operator.  We would urge them to come forward so that no one else need go through the horrendous experience suffered by the Titheridges.

“We invite Fleetway to enter into early and constructive negotiations with us to enable the fair and prompt compensation of our clients.  If this cannot be achieved, formal legal proceedings are inevitable.  We hope that this can be avoided.”