£130,000 award over holiday salmonella

A TEACHER who suffered a heart attack brought on by salmonella food poisoning has been awarded £130,000 after a five-year battle for compensation.

Graham Morgan-Smith, 48, suffered severe stomach cramps and diarrhoea during a holiday in Sicily with his wife Deborah, 54, and three children in August 2002. Two weeks after returning to the UK, he was rushed to hospital with severe chest pains and suffered a heart attack.

The physical and mental toll of his illness led to a nervous breakdown. He was unable to return to work and took early retirement after 20 years of teaching.

Mr Morgan-Smith, previously of Ashford, Kent has moved his family to Spain as they are unable to afford to continue living in the UK. He said: "I cannot believe the devastating effect that this illness has had on my life; it's been a horrendous five years.

"Before contracting salmon-ella, I was fighting fit and had completed the London marathon three times.

"Now I am constantly worried about my health and I am really not the same person as I was when I went on holiday."

The UK-based tour operator JMC, which initially refused to pay compensation after the family's stay at the Hotel Antares, paid 130,000 to Mr Morgan-Smith on 26 September last year after the matter was listed for trial.

A spokesman for Thomas Cook, which owns JMC, said: "The company would like to stress that this was an isolated case and that we received no other reports from guests."