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Tenerife gastro illness blamed on tourists ‘defecating’ in swimming pools

British holidaymakers have reportedly fallen ill with sickness and diarrhoea after claims of tourists ‘defecating’ in swimming pools at a First Choice resort.

Guests have caught a gastro-type illness after claiming poor hygiene at swimming pools at the four-star Holiday Village Be Live resort in Tenerife.

The pools in the 518-room resort hotel have been regularly closed over the last month after some guests complained people had been defecating in them, the Daily Mail reported.

First Choice warned it has zero tolerance towards such behaviour and said that any guests caught doing this in their hotels will be evicted.

Staff in another property used by the operator, Holiday Village Red Sea resort in Egypt, have previously written to guests threatening them with £1,400 fines after similar incidents happened there.

Bosses at the hotel in the resort of Costa Los Gigantes have now closed all the pools to have them chemically treated to try and stem the sickness.

Last year there was a similar outbreak of illness centred around the swimming pools involving more than 100 holidaymakers.

Guests have reported seeing health experts drafted in to test the pool water and First Choice is offering compensation for any ruined holidays.

Many children and their parents who have returned home over the last few weeks have tested positive for gastric parasite cryptosporidium after medical tests by their GPs.

Nick Harris, of holiday claim specialists Simpson Millar solicitors, which is handling cases for affected holidaymakers from both outbreaks, said: “This sort of behaviour is absolutely disgusting and has no place at these all inclusive resorts.

“Anyone found to be doing this should be severely punished as it exposes victims to all sorts of illness and symptoms like cryptosporidium that can last for years. This is no laughing matter for victims.

“The closure of the pools is too little too late and I get a real sense of déjà vu here. Lessons don’t seem to have been learned from an outbreak of illness at the same hotel resort last year.”

A First Choice spokeswoman said: ‘We’re sorry to hear that a small number of customers staying at the Holiday Village in Tenerife have reported feeling unwell.

“As a result we are working with the hotel and local authorities who have taken the decision to close the pools while an investigation is carried out.

“We are concerned by the reports that this sickness may have been caused by the actions of other guests. While incidents of this nature are very rare, we take a zero tolerance approach to this type of behaviour and anybody found to be doing this deliberately will be asked to leave the hotel.

“For customers currently in the resort we would like to apologise once again for the inconvenience and we have arranged compensation as well as the use of alternative pool facilities and complimentary shuttle buses to the beach and Siam waterpark.”

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