Thomas Cook has been ordered to pay £26,000 in compensation and costs to a family struck down with a gastric illness at the hotel in Egypt where a British couple were staying when they died suddenly last week.



Newport county court ruled against the tour operator last month after the Valu family, from south Wales, claimed it was negligent and “provided hotel accommodation which was so unsafe that no reasonable holidaymaker would agree to go on holiday there”.

They alleged that Thomas Cook failed to ensure food and drink was safe for human consumption, free from pathogenic microorganisms and stored, cooked or reheated in a safe manner. They also alleged that they were served raw, undercooked and stale food.

The ruling came four weeks before the deaths of John and Susan Cooper, from Burnley, who were on an all-inclusive package holiday at the same resort in Hurghada. The couple became ill last Monday night and died the following day.

Egyptian authorities originally described the Coopers’ death as “[the] normal death of an English old man and his wife”. They have since confirmed there was a “strange odour” in their room. Experts were analysing the hotel’s air conditioning and ventilation systems, authorities added.

There were reports of a spate of sickness at the hotel. Other families said they had experienced severe stomach illnesses, and claimed they were served raw chicken and given drinks from dirty glasses.

One guest reported that diarrhoea was so uncontrollable people defecated in the swimming pool on three separate occasions. Another person had headaches, breathing difficulties and fluid on the lungs, which a British doctor has since said appeared consistent with Legionnaire’s disease, a lung condition that can be carried by contaminated water in air conditioning units.

News of the payout is likely to increase scrutiny of Thomas Cook’s oversight of conditions at the resort, which is operated under a franchise agreement with a German hotel company, Steigenberger. Thomas Cook moved more than 300 customers out of the hotel after the Coopers’ deaths, but said in a statement that it had audited the hotel in late July and it had received an overall score of 96%.

However, five other customers have lodged legal claims against Thomas Cook for illnesses allegedly caused by stays at the hotel this year. The operator said this was a low number for a hotel of its size.

“We audit all 3,000 of our core hotels every year, and our quality teams regularly inspect our properties and provide support, guidance and training to help hotels improve,” the company said.

“We have removed 47 properties for health and safety reasons in the last year alone, and a further 150 which did not meet our strict quality criteria.”

The Valu family launched their case after they had stomach illnesses for about two months, with two weeks of severe symptoms. They emerged during a holiday at the Aqua Magic hotel in April 2016.

Thomas Cook denied responsibility for their illnesses, so the case went to trial. Logs of food temperatures kept in the kitchens of the all-inclusive hotel were disclosed as part of the pre-trial process.

Joanne Brine, a partner at JMW Solicitors who acted for the family, said the logs showed temperatures and dates were all recorded in the same handwriting for a whole month, while they were apparently signed off in several different hands. The records were scrutinised by handwriting experts commissioned by the family’s lawyers. The experts said part of the logs appeared to have been completed by the same person.

“It is very sad to hear of the deaths of John and Susan Cooper on what should have been a happy family holiday, yet also incredibly concerning given our experience with this hotel in regards to hygiene standards,” said Brine.

“The fact that we have brought concerns to Thomas Cook’s attention about the accuracy and reliability of the hotel’s record-keeping should set off alarm bells for those investigating what the failings of the management team to safeguard the health of its guests may have been on this occasion.”



The travel company’s chief executive, Peter Fankhauser, flew to Egypt on Wednesday to discuss the deaths with the country’s prime minister, Mostafa Madbouly.

So far, the Red Sea governate, where the hotel is located, has said John Cooper had “a sudden failure in the heart muscle and respiratory failure”, while his wife died six hours later due to “a drop of blood circulation and respiratory functions with no criminal suspicions”. Egyptian authorities have sealed the room where Cooper died and Fankhauser is expected to press to gain access for Thomas Cook investigators.

Steigenberger did not comment on the Valus case. In a statement about the Coopers, it said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death. All of our thoughts are with the family. In addition to our full support of the authorities, the tour operator and the franchise partner, we are highly engaged in running our own investigations.”