A man has won almost £6,000 in compensation after his very own holiday from hell in the Dominican Republic.

Marc Stringer booked a luxury holiday to the Paraiso Del Sol resort, described by one leading tour operator as "a tropical paradise" which is "ideal for that heavenly break", in April 2005.

The Margate man's experience could not have been further from the brochure description, however, and within three days of arrival he fell ill with severe diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

The illness was so severe that he was put on an intravenous drip to treat him for dehydration.

The 29-year-old said: "On the first day, I found cockroaches in my hotel room and there were often flies on the food which was left out uncovered for several hours. It was disgusting."

Mr Stringer then tried to cut short his fortnight in the sun, even offering to pay extra or take an indirect flight home, only to find that he was unable to book alternative travel.

Three years after his holiday nightmare he received £5,925 in compensation from the tour operator MyTravel, which admitted liability following a group claim by Irwin Mitchell.

Elizabeth Tetzner from the law firm, which represented another 68 holidaymakers who also suffered gastric illness whilst staying at the Paraiso Del Sol resort in April 2005, said: "We only hope that by taking these legal actions, tour operators realise the consequences of not adhering to the most basic levels of hygiene."