A POOLE family are among more than 300 holidaymakers who have launched a legal battle for compensation after their sunshine break was said to have been ruined by illness.

Phillip Holmes travelled to the hotel in Sarigerme, Turkey, with his then wife, Charlotte, 42, and their two daughters Abigail, 15, and 12-year-old Megan.

Just days after arriving, in 2008, they said they were all struck down with serious gastric symptoms.

Speaking from his Canford Heath home Mr Holmes, who has since divorced from Charlotte, said: “The holiday was fine until several days in.

“Then we all became so ill that we all had to be within running distance of a toilet, which, obviously, had a massive impact on what we could do.”

Mr Holmes, aged 44, said there were queues of people quizzing holiday reps on the situation but he said the official line was that it must be some kind of virus.

However, he said at least a dozen children and seven adults had contracted salmonella, a bacterial condition synonymous with food poisoning and poor hygiene conditions.

Mr Holmes said: “We couldn’t eat properly, there was no way we could enjoy our holiday. They were slow to accept there was a problem and slow to put measures in place. There were hundreds ill. It was frustrating.”

Law firm Irwin Mitchell, acting for 337 holidaymakers, including 125 children, have lodged papers at the High Court in Birmingham. They are seeking compensation from First Choice over alleged problems at the resort in 2008.

A First Choice spokesman said: “First Choice understands that a no-win, no-fee law firm has filed papers with a view to initiating court proceedings regarding allegations of illness at the Holiday Village Turkey in 2008.

“Our legal team is engaged in ongoing negotiations with the law firm in order to resolve this issue amicably, therefore, it would be inappropriate for us to make further comment on the case.”