It was supposed to be a relaxing holiday for Vernon and Emma Elliott and their little boy Bodie.

But their break in the popular Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh turned into a nightmare.

Bodie, three, was left fighting for his life after being struck down by a potentially deadly strain of the E.coli bug.

The whole family say they became sick just a few hours after eating in the restaurant of their hotel, the Hilton Fayrouz.

When they returned home, still suffering, Bodie became desperately ill and needed two operations and dialysis in a London hospital.

Now the couple, of Alfred Close, Thanington, fear he might have permanent kidney damage.

Vernon, 42, said: “It was the worst time of our lives.

“It should have been a dream holiday because the weather and location were fantastic.

"But anything that could go wrong went wrong, including the airline XL going bust while we were out in Egypt, leaving us stranded.”

Hotel spokesman Sherry Adel said: “Should a guest experience any issue during their stay and alerts a member of our team, the issue will be recorded in an incident report and the appropriate actions put in place. In Mr Vernon’s case the hotel has no record of this issue.

“Furthermore, the hotel has not received any claim from the guest or the insurance company. As a result, we are unable to comment further on this incident

“I can reassure you though that the well-being, health and safety of our guests and team members is of paramount importance, and we abide by strict local and international hygiene regulations.”

•For full story see this week’s Kentish Gazette