Thompson ordered to payout

A JUDGE in Birmingham ruled that Thomson, (now Tui) one of the UK‘s largest tour operators, should have warned holidaymakers about an outbreak of illness at a Mallorca hotel. Between June 7 and September 19 in 2003, 49 British people who holidayed at the Baulo Hotel in C’an Picafort contracted either salmonella or cryptosporidium during their stay.

The salmonella was contracted from the guests eating poorly prepared food, in particular dishes containing egg and meat.

The cryptosporidium bug (which is also known as crypto) is a parasitic disease which affects the intestines, and can be fatal for people with compromised immune systems. It was caught from water in the unclean swimming pool.

Some of the guests have suffered long-term health problems as a result; they started their legal action in 2006. One of the claimants said: “The conditions at the hotel were appalling. The toilets were filthy, the swimming pools had faeces floating in them.”

Judge Worster at Birmingham County Court ruled that Thomson ought to have warned its guests about the outbreak at the hotel before they travelled, in order to give them the opportunity to either rebook or cancel, but had failed to do so.

Thomson accepted its liability in the salmonella cases, but argued that in the cases of cryptosporidium, it could not have done more to get rid of the illness from the resort, adding, that it had been “criticised for not meeting a standard that was impossible to meet”.

The company said it was considering its options for an appeal but also said that it would inform the claimants next month of what they would be awarded.

A spokesperson for Thomson said, “we are very disappointed with the decision as we sincerely believe that we did everything in our power to safeguard our customers’ wellbeing at the time.”