Mother urges hygiene review at Lanzarote hotel after sons suffer salmonella illness
05/07/2010
Holiday litigation experts at Irwin Mitchell have called for a full review into health and hygiene procedures at a Lanzarote Hotel after two young boys were taken ill with severe gastric illness.
Irwin Mitchell are working on behalf of the Rushforth family after their sons, Oliver, 7, and Oscar, 4, suffered severe illnesses amid what were described as "unacceptable" hygiene standards at the Hotetur Lanzarote Bay.
The family, from Mirfield in West Yorkshire, travelled to the Hotetur Lanzarote Bay with tour operator The Global Travel Group Plc in May this year before both of their son’s began to feel seriously ill.
Oliver was later diagnosed as suffering from both salmonella and campylobacter whilst his brother Oscar also suffered serious illness, which continued despite going to hospital on their return to the UK.
Mum Jackie Rushforth said: "It was quite a scary time to have such young children being so ill while we were supposed to be enjoying our holiday.
"The condition around the areas where food was being served was poor. Birds were just landing on the tables and plates after people had left and started eating from the spoons. We also saw cockroaches running around.
"The adults ate at the restaurant which was buffet style, although this was also very poor. The food was often lukewarm, there was also chicken, pork, fish, pasta, vegetables and salad buffet, none of this was particularly well cooked or refrigerated."
Environmental Health Officers have informed Mrs Rushforth that the incubation period confirmed that the hotel was the culprit for Oliver's salmonella and campylobacter.
Oliver started getting sick halfway through the holiday, complaining of very bad stomach cramps before suffering from very bad diarrhoea around every half an hour.
Mrs Rushforth said: "Oliver is still very off his food and both of them still have episodes of diarrhoea. I just can’t believe how bad the hygiene must have been for my family to have been exposed to such a serious illness."
Irwin Mitchell is calling for The Global Travel Group Plc to force the Hotetur Lanzarote Bay to improve its standards.
David Sumner, a travel law expert at the firm said: "The experiences described by our clients are just unacceptable. Sadly tour operators are continuing to send people to hotels that fall well short of the strict health and safety guidelines put in place to protect the public from illness.
"In this case two very young children were made very ill through poor hygiene that could easily have been avoided. Instead the Rushforth family have had their holiday ruined and in fact continue to suffer from illness."
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