Holiday firm sued over bug horror wedding

Kevin Sturman and his fiance Abbie Otter decided to marry in Turkey but said they wished they had stayed in Yorkshire after they and their party became seriously ill.

A bridesmaid had to be rushed to hospital and the best man Aaron Morris was hooked up to a drip for seven days suffering from gastro-enteritis and dehydration.

Mr Sturman, 33, and Miss Otter had flown out for a two-week stay and were taken ill before their big day at the Holiday Village Hotel in Sarigerme on the Aegean coast.

Most of the wedding party were struck down with food poisoning, and Mr Sturman, an engineer, was in bed for two days. The ceremony went ahead although all the guests were ill.

Immediately after the wedding Kevin's sister, Beckie Cooper, 23, who was 16 weeks pregnant, was rushed to hospital 80 miles away and was forced to spend two days there.

Mr Sturman, his wife and several others in the wedding party are now among 659 holidaymakers suing travel giant First Choice which is facing claims worth a total of 6m.

Mr Sturman and his wife, a customers services adviser, spent 4,000 on the wedding and two-week break and the bill for the entire wedding party came to nearly 10,000.

Mr Sturman from Kirk Sandall, Doncaster said: "It was an absolute nightmare. Holiday from hell just about sums it up. We were all taken ill a few days after arriving, ranging from stomach upsets to vomiting, gastro enteritis, diarrhoea and salmonella.

"We were still ill when the wedding took place but we just had to smile and get on with it. One of the bridesmaids went round the hotel with a petition and it was signed by 300 people who all had the same symptoms as us.

"We all ate out for the second week and that added to the cost . The hygiene standards were terrible, food wasn't cleared away and the swimming pools were filthy."

The best man's wife Lyndsey Morris said she and the couple's children Dylan, eight, and Libby, five, were also sick and claimed it had taken them two months to fully recover.

She added: "The second week was a disaster, the wedding was spoiled, a pregnant friend was taken to hospital and there were ambulances at the hotel every day.

"But they were just not doing anything about it. There were angry scenes in reception every day."

A writ, claiming staff mishandled and improperly stored food has been issued by Manchester law firm Pannone, which is handling claims from people who stayed at the hotel between April and October 2008.

First Choice has not admitted liability. A spokesman said: "While we accept that any level of sickness is unacceptable the number of holidaymakers falling sick remains very low when the larger population is taken into consideration."

He added that the firm commissioned independent consultants to carry out rigorous audits. He said their reports rated quality standards at the property high and well above inspectors' requirements.