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A couple spent £2,000 on a holiday of a lifetime with Thomas Cook just hours before the firm went bust - knowing they would never get to go.

But rather than be disappointed and out of pocket, savvy Chris and Steph King were using up vouchers that could now be worth nothing.

The pair had been saving the vouchers for a dream family getaway to Disneyland.

They were waiting for when their three children, two-year-old twins Eloise and Theo and Xanthe, six, were old enough to fully enjoy the magical experience.

Warning as Thomas Cook refund scammers target holidaymakers in phone fraud

But after hearing that Thomas Cook were on the verge of collapse, Chris headed to his local store in Reading and splurged on a holiday just two hours before they closed.

He made the bold move in the hope he would be covered by ATOL protection.

Chris, 41, told the Daily Mirror: "I walked in the shop and the three of them stopped and looked at me like I was an outsider walking into a western bar. I think they thought I was crazy.

"I felt bad going into the shop but had I not done it then the vouchers could well have been worthless. It was a bit of an awkward situation because one of the ladies had been working there for 30 years.

"I said to them 'I know you might be out of a job but can you help me out?' She replied 'Let's book something'."

Chris then went through the whole process of booking a holiday that he knew he wouldn't be going on.

"We chose a long weekend in New York for May next year. We hadn't done any research so we were sitting there looking at hotels and trip advisor reviews. We chose the Millennium Hilton in downtown."

Chris' wife, Steph, 34, had won the vouchers as an award at work.

(Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Project manager Chris added: "Because we wanted to spend all the vouchers we even upgraded to premium economy class.

"When the lady went through to the Thomas Cook booking line and explained she had a customer wanting to book a holiday I think they were a bit surprised.

"She printed off the receipt, booking reference. Our flights were through Virgin so when I got home I logged on and chose our seats.

"It was bittersweet - booking a holiday we knew we wouldn't be going on.

"We woke... to hear that Thomas Cook had gone bust. We're lucky because we're not stranded anywhere and we're, hopefully, not out of pocket. Now I just need to work out how to claim our money back."

Thomas Cook collapsed and entered compulsory liquidation in the early hours of this morning, leaving more than 150,000 Thomas Cook customers abroad and 9,000 Thomas Cook jobs in the UK gone.

The Civil Aviation Authority is working with the Government to bring the Brits currently overseas back to the UK.

The repatriation process will take place over the next two weeks, until October 6, with the help of a fleet of aircraft from around the world.

Customers who booked a package with Thomas Cook , will get their money back thanks to ATOL protection.

If you booked an ATOL-protected holiday with Thomas Cook - but your flights are with an airline unrelated to the Thomas Cook Group - your flights might still be available, but your accommodation and transfers may not be.

If the holiday costs between £100 and £30,000, and you booked any part of it on a credit card, you should be able to reclaim the money from them thanks to Section 75 of the consumer credit act.

Consumer experts say that it's highly likely that gift cards or vouchers will be worthless depending on what happens to the company.