A HAMPSHIRE family have had their special break at a Mexican holiday resort ruined after they developed serious gastric illness.

Malcolm McCloskey, 63, from Fareham was staying at the Riu Dunamar resort in Playas Mujeres, in Mexico with his wife Patricia, 43, and daughter Neola last August.

All three of the family were taken ill on their two week holiday, which was booked with Tui.

Malcolm said: “Our illness was horrific and my wife’s symptoms were so bad that she needed to go into hospital.

“That is simply something you should not expect to happen on a luxury family holiday.

“We are all just so frustrated and upset regarding what happened and feel that we want our voices heard.”

The Fareham father went to Irwin Mitchell’s specialist International Personal Injury team, who later revealed that eight people had suffered from illness at the same resort.

He added: “I was shocked when I talked to other holidaymakers who were also ill as, although I had seen some concerning issues in relation to the cleanliness of the swimming pool and the hygiene in the restaurant, I never thought I was at serious risk of illness.

“While nothing will change what happened to us, we now just want reassurances that the issues we faced will not be repeated in the future.”

Other holidaymakers who have contacted the legal experts have raised a range of issues with them, with a woman from Fareham requiring several days off work in order to recover from the illness and another holidaymaker outlining how the resort’s pool had to be cleaned after faeces were found in it.

Jatinder Paul, the Senior Associate Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, said: “A case like this is a major worry as we have seen time and time again how illness problems of this nature can have a lasting impact on those affected.

“With this in mind, we are determined to help our clients get justice in relation to their experiences and would be keen to hear from anyone else who may have also been involved.”

A spokesperson from TUI added: “We are very sorry to hear of Mr McCloskey’s experience.

“As this is now a legal matter, it would be inappropriate to comment further.

“We’d like to reassure customers that we regularly audit all of the hotels we feature in respect of health and safety, including hygiene.”