British mum's holiday nightmare as 'entire family end up in hospital in Greece'

A British mum has shared her family's 'traumatic' experience after both her children and husband were hospitalised and put on drips due to suspected food poisoning while on holiday.

Melissa Pickering, 30, alleges she was compelled to spend £1,000 on hospital bills, medication and 'emergency' flights home after her husband and two young sons, aged seven and five, fell severely ill during their stay at the Labranda Blue Bay Resort in Rhodes, Greece.

READ MORE - Scottish TUI flight diverted as 'drunk passenger causes chaos' on plane

READ MORE - American childhood pals get engaged after 'bumping into each other at Edinburgh party'

The mother of two stated: "It's been a nightmare. Our family holiday was wrecked. I've spent nearly £1,000 on medication and flights."

"The holiday was nearly £4,000. We decided to go away for some family time and it turned into a disaster. We only had four days of happiness. It was so scary."

Melissa, who is employed as an auxiliary nurse, mentioned that she booked the all-inclusive holiday ahead of a surgery she is scheduled for, hoping it would provide an opportunity for quality family time before her hospitalisation, reports the Manchester Evening News.

However, within days of their vacation, her two boys Harry, seven, and Billy, five, were afflicted with a mysterious illness, exhibiting symptoms akin to food poisoning.

She explained: "They were very lethargic and sleeping all the time, they wouldn't wake up. They looked horrible in colour and really dehydrated. As soon as they had a sip of water it came up straight away."

Melissa alleges that just four days into their holiday, both her sons were hospitalised and kept on drips for two nights due to food poisoning. "The doctor said, 'We need to keep these boys in they're really poorly. They need drips.' They were a greeny, grey colour. I have never seen my older son that colour before," she recounted.

While settling the 300 euro medical bills at the hospital reception, Melissa claims a doctor hurriedly informed her that her husband Bradley, 28, had 'collapsed'. "I went back upstairs and he was surrounded by loads of doctors and nurses. It was horrendous. I was panicking. I was just so scared. My son Billy was screaming."

She further stated that her husband was subsequently put on a drip for several hours. After leaving the hospital and returning to the hotel, the family fell ill again within days and had to consult an 'emergency doctor', according to Melissa.

She explained: "I was giving them boiling water out of the kettle. We wouldn't touch the tap water or ice, then the children had chicken and it all started again."

The family had planned to stay at the hotel from May 11 until May 25, but they decided to fly home early on Wednesday (May 22). Melissa revealed: "I had to pay £700 in flights home because the kids were terrified. I was so scared for them. They wouldn't eat. We needed to just get them home for safety. My sons were crying to go home, we could not stay there.."

She says her attempts to get a refund from On The Beach have been futile, due to the hotel's no-refund policy.

The holiday company, On The Beach, portrays the hotel as boasting an Italian restaurant, a Greek taverna, and a beachside brunch within the guests' easy reach. The resort has received a strong reputation with a four out of five-star rating on Tripadvisor.

In response to the situation, a spokesperson for On the Beach commented: "We're sorry that the Webb family were unwell on their holiday. We haven't been contacted since their return home a few days ago, so we'll get in touch with the Webbs directly to investigate."