A couple’s holiday to the Canary Islands to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary was ruined after they were badly bitten by bed bugs.
Julie and Stephen Mayhew suffered around 100 bites to their legs, hands, arms, and shoulder.
Julie, 50, said she lost almost half of her holiday because she was unable to go out in the sun and enjoy planned activities.
The pair paid £1,600 for an 11-night stay in a self-catering apartment at the four-star Resort Fuerteventura Origo Mare, Fuerteventura, in June.
Mother of one Julie said: ‘It was absolutely horrifying. We’ve never seen or encountered bed bugs before.
‘When we arrived at the room it was late at night. I noticed a bug on the bed but just removed it because I didn’t realise what it was.
‘Then I saw more crawling out of the headboard. I was horrified.’
Julie went to the hotel shop and bought bug spray in attempt to kill the parasites.
The couple notified hotel staff, who swapped the bedding – but a few days later Julie and Stephen, 52, were covered with bites and had developed a rash.
She said: ‘I went to the doctor and he said I had suffered an allergic reaction. At this point I wasn’t aware it might be bed bugs.
‘It was only when I posted a photo of the bites on my leg onto a WhatsApp group that friends said it might be bed bugs.
‘I think the spray I bought killed the bugs but not the eggs that they had laid.’
Julie told tour operator Jet2 Holidays about the bed bugs – but her concerns were dismissed.
She said: ‘They didn’t believe me and said the hotel had never had a problem with bed bugs.
‘We must have been bitten up to 100 times.
‘You couldn’t feel the bed bugs biting but the rash and bites were itchy and uncomfortable.
‘I didn’t go out into the sun for the last five days and we had to cancel our planned activities.
‘It ruined our holiday, and I wouldn’t want it to happen to anyone else.’
The couple, from West Yorkshire, are taking legal action against Jet2 Holidays.
Oliver Linton, from Holiday Claims Bureau, said: ‘It is alleged that the claimants suffered from bed bug bites due to the hotel’s failure to properly inspect and clean the room.
‘We have managed to obtain a sufficient amount of evidence from Mr and Mrs Mayhew and will rely on this evidence to prove breach of duty and improper performance of the contract.’
A spokesperson for Jet2 Holidays told : ‘As lawyers have been instructed, it would be inappropriate to make any comment at this stage.’