Lawyers Continue Investigations After High Levels Of E Coli Found At Five-Star Resort

Specialist international personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have now been instructed by 46 holidaymakers who fell ill earlier this year after staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Egypt.

Lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have launched investigations after receiving multiple reports of illness among guests who stayed at the five-star resort in Hurghada from this April onwards.

Husband and wife, John and Susan Cooper, aged 69 and 63, of Burnley, died suddenly last month whilst staying at the hotel.

Tour operator Thomas Cook this week published the findings of tests carried out the hotel following the couple’s death. It said it had found high levels of E coli and staphylococcus bacteria. Thomas Cook said it is “clear from these results that something went wrong”.

However, the company said it was still not clear how Mr and Mrs Cooper died and was still awaiting the results of post-mortem examinations.

Their deaths are not part of the investigations currently being undertaken by Irwin Mitchell.

Expert Opinion

“Through our work we often see first-hand how serious E coli can be and we know of the significant and potentially life-threatening impact it can have upon those affected.

“We are receiving an increasing number of first-hand accounts from holidaymakers who stayed at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel this summer who have concerns about hygiene standards at the resort. Many clients fell ill with serious gastrointestinal symptoms which, for many, have required hospital admissions.

“Our investigations are continuing but it is vital, where possible, that lessons are learned from this case to ensure that holidaymakers do not face such hygiene problems in the future.

“We would be interested in speaking to any other guests who have stayed at this hotel over the last few months to provide us with further information and eye-witness accounts of the issues reported at the hotel in order to assist us with our investigations.” Amandeep Dhillon - Partner

The team at Irwin Mitchell has considerable experience of handling cases of this nature and have represented thousands of holidaymakers who have fallen ill abroad. The team has recovered millions of pounds from tour operators including representing over 600 people who fell ill at the Holiday Village in Turkey over successive years between 2009 and 2014, and over 1,000 fell who fell ill following holidays at the Bahia Principe in the Dominican Republic in 2007.

Case study

Martin Locke and his partner, Ashley Bruce, who were on their first holiday together as a couple, are among the 46 holidaymakers who have instructed Irwin Mitchell to investigate the outbreak of illness following their stay at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel this year.

The couple, from Chatham in Kent, departed on their eight day all-inclusive break booked through Thomas Cook on 8 June.

However, Martin, 29, and Ashley, 24, fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea on 11 and 12 June respectively. They were recommended by the tour rep to see the hotel’s on-site pharmacy where they were prescribed medication, although this did not alleviate their painful stomach cramps.

They managed to fly home as planned on 16 June but their illnesses persisted after they returned home.

Martin, a forensic strategy analyst, said: “We were really looking to a nice relaxing break but it turned out to be anything but the five-star service we were hoping for.

“There were parts of the hotel which were dirty, food in the restaurants was often undercooked and left out uncovered for extended periods despite the weather being boiling hot. There were flies often around uncovered food and on occasion these would end up in the food. The cutlery, crockery and table linen was frequently dirty.

“Somehow despite the symptoms we managed to fly home. However, even though we were home it was not the end. We continued feeling sick and we were totally wiped out.

Ashley, an administrative assistant, added: “We never expected our holiday to turn out in the way it did. It was bad enough us being poorly, but to now find out that lots of other holidaymakers at the hotel have suffered similar problems is terrible.

“From our experience hygiene did not seem to be an important consideration for the hotel. We now want answers as to why so many people who stayed at the same hotel over several months fell ill.”

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling holiday illness cases.