Payout for carer hit by bug ordeal on holiday

Colin Binns, 42, had saved up more than £2,000 to fund the trip to the Turkish resort of Hisaronu with his wife, who suffers from epilepsy, and his son, who has learning difficulties.

He hoped the all-inclusive holiday would provide a well-earned break from the round-the-clock care he provides for his wife.

But his dreams were shattered when he arrived to find what he described as shabby accommodation, poor facilities, and “vile, grotty, re-heated food”.

Just days before he was due to fly home with his family and friends Mr Binns suffered sickness, diarrhoea and dehydration – symptoms that were dismissed as “sunstroke” by a representative from holiday operator Thomas Cook.

However, back at home in Cleethorpes tests confirmed he had the campylobacter bacteria and his condition was so serious that he was confined to an isolation unit in hospital for two days.

Now, after more than three years of legal wrangling following the 14-day holiday in 2008, Mr Binns has been compensated for the pain and suffering he endured after contacting personal injury specialists Neil Hudgell Solicitors.

He said: “As a full-time carer, I was looking forward to this time away which would give me the chance to sit down on a sun lounger and relax. But it turned into quite the opposite.”

He added: “When the test results came back, I was sent straight to hospital and ended up spending two days in quarantine. I was extremely scared and at one point felt so ill that I thought I was going to die.”

A spokeswoman for Thomas Cook said: “We were very sorry to hear that Mr Binns was unwell. Thomas Cook works hard with its hotel partners to ensure that all aspects of health and hygiene are closely monitored and takes any report of illness extremely seriously.”