A Margate man who was one of 600 holidaymakers struck down by illness in a Turkish resort this summer is taking legal action against tour operator First Choice.

Ian King and his wife Paulette booked a two week all-inclusive package holiday at the Holiday Village Hotel in Sarigerme for themselves and their young children Rachael and Samuel.

But their break soon turned into a holiday from hell when, only a few days into the holiday, Ian began to suffer severe abdominal pains, diarrhoea and vomiting.

The family were also allocated a room on the top floor of the hotel, despite eight year-old Samuel suffering from muscular dystrophy, an illness which affects his mobility.

They said that they had reserved a ground floor room when they booked their holiday 18 months earlier.

Ian, 44, said: “My illness ruined the holiday, not just for me but for my whole family. It was hard for my wife to cope with everything by herself.

“Paulette also had the worry of who would look after the children should she herself fall ill.”

The Kings have joined a group action being led by Irwin Mitchell Solicitors.

Clive Garner, head of the firm’s travel law team, described the family’s ordeal as “completly unacceptable”.

In a statement, First Choice said: “The health and safety of our customers is our primary concern, and we would like to reassure our customers that we have wide ranging hygiene controls in place and that every effort is always taken to prevent the spread of illness.

“As soon as our resort staff were alerted to the increased level of sickness amongst guests, additional hygiene procedures were implemented by the hotel as a precautionary measure, to minimise the chance of any further illness spreading.

“We are confident that guests due to travel there in the future will experience the high levels of quality and standards they expect from a First Choice property.”