A Morden family is among 600 holidaymakers awarded part of a £1.7m High Court settlement after suffering severe illness at a Turkish resort.
Instead of relaxing in the sun, tourists were hospitalised after nightmare conditions including faeces in the pool, undercooked food and dirty toilets were seen at the Holiday Village in Turkey.
The High Court payouts from First Choice Holidays and Flights Limited could see holiday goers pocket up to £25,000 each.
The Foster family stayed there at the end of September 2009 on a holiday that resulted in dad Alfred Foster and his seven-year-old son Alfie succumbing to severe gastric illness.
Mr Foster, 46, had stomach cramps and diarrhoea while his wife, Jane, was forced to take three weeks off work to look after Alfie whose illness continued when they returned home.
Suffering from vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea, the youngster was found to have salmonella.
Mrs Foster said: "The holiday was a very stressful experience.
"We were looking forward to it for so long but it just ended up becoming a nightmare from beginning to end."
Reports of the conditions at the resort included faeces seen in the swimming pools, dirty public toilets with no hot water, and food observed as undercooked and left uncovered.
Guests reported that crockery and cutlery were often dirty in the restaurant and some food seemed to have been previously cooked then reheated at later meals.
Developing infections such as salmonella, cryptosporidium, campylobacter and E. coli while on holiday, a number of guests needed hospital treatment.
The illnesses still affected some holiday goers when they had returned to the UK, with some young children requiring hospital treatment due to the severity of their symptoms.
Sitting at the High Court in London, deputy senior master Leslie approved the settlement agreement on Friday, February 7, that will give damages to over 160 children and 435 adults who stayed at the hotel in 2009.
Each affected person will receive up to £25,000, with the level of damages awarded dependent on the duration and severity of illness suffered and the amount of financial losses and expenses incurred.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here