‘Around 100 Holidaymakers Affected’ By Suspected Norovirus

Expert lawyers representing victims of illness outbreaks in the UK and abroad have called for authorities in East Sussex to thoroughly investigate the outbreak of illness which has been linked to Cooden Beach Hotel in Bexhill-on-Sea near Eastbourne, after 100 people were reportedly affected.

Reports have suggested that visitors to the hotel across the past fortnight have been affected by the problems, with a sign reportedly being placed on the door warning guests and others of an “airborne virus” on the premises.

Rother District Council has stated that testing has revealed eight confirmed cases of norovirus and, following the issues, the hotel has also undertaken a steam clean of its public areas. Monitoring at the site is expected to continue.

News of the outbreak has come after a spate of similar issues, including reports that the Marsham Court Hotel in Bournemouth has closed following an outbreak and customers at Toby Carvery’s Exeter Arms pub in Middlemoor also suffering gastric symptoms in recent weeks.

Now, specialist public health lawyers at Irwin Mitchell who are representing 122 victims of the Toby Carvery outbreak are calling authorities in East Sussex to ensure that answers are provided to those affected by the problems at Cooden Beach Hotel.

Expert Opinion

"It is incredibly worrying to hear reports of a large number of people being affected by the suspected norovirus linked to Cooden Beach Hotel.

"Through our work related to numerous outbreaks of norovirus, we have seen how such an illness can have huge consequences for victims – often leading to major disruption to their personal and working life, and then going on to leave them with long-term health problems in some cases.

"While it is welcome that steps have been taken to reduce the risk of further visitors to the hotel following ill; it is vital that every effort is made to provide answers to victims of the illness regarding how such problems emerged in the first place.

"The fact this individual outbreak is just one of several to have emerged across the UK in recent weeks is also a major concern and we would urge Public Health England and related authorities to review these incidents to determine what could be done to improve safety and prevent future outbreaks." Amandeep Dhillon - Partner