A no-win no-fee law firm has started court proceedings on behalf of 36 TUI customers who reported being taken ill at a Red Sea all-inclusive.

The complainants say they all suffered gastric symptoms while staying at the five-star Jaz Aquamarine hotel in Hurghada between January and October 2019.

Four of them were hospitalised – one in Egypt and three on their return to the UK – eight people were diagnosed with salmonella, one with the stomach bug giardiasis and another person with a strain of E.coli and the associated bacterial infection shigella.

Law firm Irwin Mitchell has issued court proceedings against the tour operator. It has previously represented holidaymakers affected by illness, including people who stayed at the Jaz Aquamarine in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Irwin Mitchell Solicitor Hannah Clifford said: “To hear that so many people were struck down with debilitating illness after staying at Hurghada’s Jaz Aquamarine hotel is deeply concerning.

“Our clients were understandably looking forward to their holidays and were left devastated when they developed gastric symptoms. These types of illnesses can lead to severe long-term conditions and should never be downplayed.

“The families continue to have questions regarding what they’ve been through, but TUI have thus far failed to engage with us. While they would rather not be in this position, they feel they have no option but to commence court proceedings to help them obtain the answers they deserve.

“We call on TUI to work with us to help resolve these cases. In the meantime, we’ll continue to support our clients however we can.”

TUI said in a statement: “We are sorry to hear of these experiences at the Jaz Aquamarine hotel. As this is now a legal matter, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.

“We’d like to reassure customers that we regularly audit all of our hotels in respect to health and safety, including hygiene.”