A pensioner from Watford is taking legal action against a tour operator after claiming staff on a holiday excursion threatened to leave him on the roadside if he did not stop being sick.

Edward Hollman and his wife Margaret planned their stay at the Bay Royal Hotel in Weymouth to celebrate his 93rd birthday in August last year.

However, they believe that the treatment and service they received was far from the luxury they had been saving for.

The elderly couple claim that they were given cold and recycled food throughout their holiday, as well as dirty bedsheets.

Mrs Hollman said: “I am totally disgusted by the experience we have had.

“We are pensioners and we had to save really hard for the holiday.

“We had been really looking forward to it but instead suffered such horrific symptoms that I even had to visit our GP when I got home.”

The couple said they were left shocked and shaken when Mr Hollman’s symptoms lead to a member of staff telling him he could not be allowed back on the coach if he did not stop being sick during an excursion to Charmouth Market.

During their stay, the couple say they met dozens of other visitors who were suffering with similar illnesses, and on arriving home saw even more complaints on travel website Trip Advisor, one stating that her husband had to be rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

Mrs Hollman added: “We were not the only guests who were ill and we were appalled by the attitude of staff in the hotel and on the excursion.”

A spokesperson for Bay Hotels said: “We are sorry to hear that illness may have ruined Mr and Mrs Hollman’s holiday.

“Unfortunately, illness such as this is an issue which affects all tour operators as well as other establishments, such as hospitals and schools, where a large volume of people are in close proximity, and it can spread relatively quickly in these warm, populated locations.

“While we sympathise with Mr and Mrs Hollman, it is very difficult to trace the source of such a bug as it can live in the body for several days and can therefore be brought to a hotel by a guest without our knowledge and subsequently passed on to other guests.

“As an operator that specialises in holidays for older customers, we are very experienced at understanding and helping any guests who may fall ill while on holiday.

“If we do experience signs of guests having a virus, we have stringent procedures which involve liaison with local authorities, isolating rooms and well-tested cleaning programmes to avoid cross-contamination.

“The hotel was in regular contact with the local environmental health department and followed all guidance.

“In line with our health and safety procedures, steps were taken to ensure the virus was contained.

“The majority of residents at The Royal did not fall ill at this time and we were praised by the local environmental health department for our procedures and containment.”

The hotel is currently investigating the claims.