A Kent animal park is facing potential lawsuits after two guests who stayed at one of its hotels were later diagnosed with a serious illness.

One of those who had an overnight visit at the Port Lympne Hotel near Hythe spent several days in intensive care after developing Legionnaires' disease in 2021.

Lawyers say they have found another guest who stayed at the same accommodation during the same month who was also diagnosed with the bacterial infection.

Government officials have confirmed that legionella was found in the hotel's water system following investigations.

Port Lympne also produced its own risk assessment which told of positive tests in the hot and cold water from some of the showers, and the efforts taken since to address the issue.

The Aspinall Foundation, which runs the wild animal park along with sister site Howlett's in Canterbury, has been contacted for comment.

One of the guests who was later diagnosed with Legionnaires' is Gary McClellan, from Sandwich.

The 68-year-old was working part-time as an assistant head teacher when he fell ill after staying overnight at the hotel between June 18 and 19, 2021.

Three days after leaving the venue on June 22, Mr McClellan began to suffer aches, pains and dehydration.

At first he put his symptoms down to Covid or the flu as it was not long after lockdown restrictions were lifted that year.

But his condition worsened over the following days and he started suffering from chronic diarrhoea, bright orange urine, confusion, shortness of breath and sweats.

By June 28 he was forced to go to The QEQM Hospital in Margate and spent several days in intensive care.

He said: "I started to feel ill not long after I returned home from the hotel, but at first put it down to flu.

“The time I spent in hospital was a blur, but I did realise that whatever was wrong with me was serious, and I was determined to fight for my life.

“It was such a frightening experience and in many ways, I’m glad to still be here to talk about it, but months down the line, it’s clear my life is not the same and I fear that it will never be the same again."

Instead of being able to return to work full-time, Mr McClellan could only manage a couple of days a week and in June last year decide to fully retire from career that he loved.

“It’s a great sadness that my teaching career has been forced to end prematurely and in this way," he said.

“It has put me and my family through a terrible trauma, as they were forced to watch my declining health and as I went into intensive care, feared the worst.

“These aren’t experiences that you easily forget or recover from.

“Now I want answers on what happened, for my own peace of mind and to draw a line under what has been a nightmare for me and the whole family.”

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious and potentially fatal bacterial infection, caused by the legionella bacteria.

It is usually caught by breathing in droplets of water that have been contaminated with the bacteria as a result of water systems not being maintained properly.

Water reserves, cooling towers and evaporative condensers lying dormant for months make an ideal breeding ground for the legionella bacteria.

Lawyers representing Mr McClellan investigated the incident and found another guest had also been diagnosed with the disease after staying at the same hotel in June 2021.

In July 2021, public health officials said "ongoing investigations" were taking place and legionella had been "identified provisionally on water sampling results" which were undergoing further testing.

Port Lympne also produced its own risk assessment which showed positive tests in the hot and cold water from some of the showers.

Several control measures were immediately put in place to rectify the issue, the documents show.

“We’re determined to help Gary and his family find the answers they need following his terrible experience which continues to have a massive impact on his life..."

Today, the UK Health Security Agency has confirmed legionella was found in the water system at the hotel.

Sarita Sharma, an expert lawyer representing Gary and the family, said: “Gary’s experience is yet another example of the terrible and lasting impact Legionnaires’ disease can have on people’s physical and mental health.

“Having spent several days in intensive care, more than a year on Gary continues to suffer serious complications to such an extent that he has been unable to return to full time work.

“We’re determined to help Gary and his family find the answers they need following his terrible experience which continues to have a massive impact on his life.

“However, it’s also important to remind guests and hotel owners of the very real dangers of Legionnaires’ disease - a disease that can prove fatal.

“There are strict guidelines in place to help control the development of the bacteria that causes the disease, and it is important these are followed by all institutions.

“If during the course of our investigations failings in health and safety procedures are found, it’s vital that lessons are learned so others don’t have to go through what Gary has.”

As well as answers, Mr McClellan hopes Irwin Mitchell can help him get funds to help pay for his rehabilitation that is still ongoing.