Two Kent families are taking legal action against Butlins after falling ill on holiday.

Elisha Cordner, 29, and her 39-year-old partner Nigel Colclough, 39, took their six children to the Bognor Regis resort in November 2012 with grandmother Lorraine Colclough.

But during the “nightmare” holiday, all nine members of the family began suffering from severe sickness, stomach cramps and diarrhoea.

The family, from Sevenoaks, have now instructed law firm Irwin Mitchell - along with another family from Chatham who allegedly fell ill at the same resort earlier this month.

As well as concerns about food hygiene, parents Elisha and Nigel claimed water in the swimming pool was also dirty and cloudy.

Elisha and three-year-old Gracie-May visited their GP when they returned home because of ongoing symptoms.

The couple’s other children - Tia, seven, Lily-Lorraine, two, Connor Cordner, 11, Kieran, 12, and 15-year-old Conor Colclough - also suffered diarrhoea and sickness.

Elisha said: “Our holiday to Butlins in Bognor Regis was meant to be an enjoyable and relaxing break at a family-friendly and traditional resort – the kids were so excited. But in reality it was a nightmare when we all started to feel ill and we couldn’t wait to come home.

“We noticed that parts of the resort looked dirty and grubby and were horrified to see that some food was also left uncovered for long periods of time. We saw a lot of ill-looking people too which was obviously worrying.

“Like any large family, Nigel and I saved up really hard to afford to take us all on a family holiday to Butlins so we were devastated to see the kids suffer so badly when we should have been enjoying ourselves.

“Gracie-May got the worst of it and was still ill upon her return home suffering with diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and lethargy. We just don’t want other hard-working families to go through what we have.”

Meanwhile, the Knight family from Chatham, who did not want their full names published, travelled to the park in Bognor Regis on May 6.

They claim they suffered from sickness, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and hot flushes, caused by poor hygiene standards.

Ms Knight said they complained to staff about food being reused from earlier meal times and being left out for long periods of time and nothing was done.

She added: “We were so excited with anticipation of going on our first family holiday. Not long after our arrival we were soon disappointed with the standards of some of the food being served.

“Some meat and salad dishes were left out for long periods of time and some food remained uncovered.

“My son fell ill first, three days into the holiday and then a couple of days later I fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea and my partner fell ill after me.

“Thankfully my son and I have recovered in the main but my partner still suffers symptoms now so we’re left with an ongoing bad reminder of the holiday and we want answers as to what caused this.

“We heard that lots of other people were ill during our stay and we want to see that improvements are made so no other family’s holiday is ruined like ours was.”

The claims come just two years after a group of more than 250 guests instructed Irwin Mitchell to seek justice on their behalf following an outbreak of illness at the same Butlins resort. Liability is still in dispute.

Suki Chhokar, partner at Irwin Mitchell, said: “We are deeply concerned to hear of a further outbreak of illness at a Butlins resort. A full and thorough investigation is needed to reassure any concerned holidaymakers that standards of health and hygiene are acceptable. We will be undertaking our own investigations into the cause of the illnesses.

“We have intimated claims against Bourne Leisure, Butlins parent company and their response in respect of their position in relation to liability is awaited. We hope they will now work with us to resolve these claims as quickly as possible.”

A spokesman for Butlins at Bognor Regis said: “Our resort denies all liability and we are happy that our services complied with all health and safety regulations and procedures.

“The fact that the original letter from Irwin Mitchell Solicitors referred to Butlins at Bognor Regis as a cruise ship speaks volumes for their allegations.

“Bognor Regis is subject to unannounced visits by representatives of the Health Protection Agency and the Environmental Health Agency both of whom have acknowledged our high standards and professionalism.”