It was a holiday from hell ... so we bought shares in travel firm to

A COUPLE given pounds 75 compensation by a tour operator used the cash to buy shares in the firm...so they can kick up a stink at the firm's annual general meeting in January.

Mark Diamond, 32, and his girlfriend Tracey Potter, 27, paid pounds 953 for their Airtours break in the Dominican Republic. They were booked into the Costa Linda hotel in the resort of Juan Dolio, and planned to spend their two weeks looking for a place to get married on the island. Instead the holiday was a disaster.

On their first night the couple found there was no lock on the door of their room and had to wait for hours for one to be fitted.

Live electrical sockets hung out of the walls, and their bed sheets were covered in stains. There was no hot water, and the air conditioning unit burst into flames. The restaurant had raw sewage flowing by, and there were dead bugs on plates.

After three days Tracey fell ill, and is still suffering from a tropical disease she caught from unhygienic conditions at the hotel.

Mark, a systems analyst, and Tracey got pounds 75 from their Airtours representative for the lock problem, which they used to buy 10 Airtours shares. They turned down an offer of pounds 400 and are demanding a full refund plus compensation.

Mark, who put up 60 signs complaining about the company round his home town of Swindon, Wilts, and a further 40 posters near the Airtours HQ in Helmshore, Lancs, said: "I have worked in a hostel for the homeless and they were living in better conditions. I'll do whatever it takes."

Tracey, who may have to have an operation to cure her illness, said: "I'm still getting stomach cramps and vomiting a lot. But what's really annoying is the way Airtours refuse to take responsibility for it. "

A spokeswoman for Airtours said she was "disappointed" at Mark's behaviour. The company could not address the issue of compensation until they received medical evidence of Tracey's condition.

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