A BRIT tourist repeatedly vomited blood after being struck down by a bug linked to food contaminated by human poo while on a luxury TUI holiday.

Chris Gillan was so weak he thought he would die and had to be stretchered from his room to hospital when he was was hit by parasite cyclospora in Mexico.

He is one of hundreds of holidaymakers now suing TUI amid claims the company is trying to cover up what it knew about the scale of the problem at the country’s Riviera Maya resort.

There have been outbreaks of the past four years and it has been claimed the cases that have come to court are the “tip of the iceberg”.

Chris said he spent nearly 18 hours being treated and had to have nine saline drips as he was so dehydrated from the crippling illness.

The 36-year self-employed engineer from Hertforshire and his wife Marisa, 31, paid out nearly £3,000 for their romantic getaway after saving for a year to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.

But he ended up spending half his time ill in bed at the El Dorado Sensimar seaside suites in Riviera Maya after contracting cyclospora – a bug spread by food and water contaminated with faeces.

“I have never been so ill in my life. It was horrendous , the worst holiday ever. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” said the 36-year-old.

Chris said the couple were talked into going to Mexico after he says TUI made a mistake in the booking for another country.

“It was the worst decision of our lives. I don’t want anybody else to go through what I did. It’s the worst I have ever felt. I have never complained in my life about a holiday but this was awful.”

“I was expecting a nice relaxing stress free time as we had saved up all year.

“This romantic holiday turned out to be anything but. It was a total nightmare and a complete waste of money. The second week was a virtual write off as I was so ill.”

Chris said first impressions were good but they soon stated noticing small things that were wrong in the resort such as foul smelling sewage water and under cooked meals.

Others in the resort, including the wife in a honeymooning couple became ill, before he also suddenly became sick one day after going to breakfast.

He later experienced “excruciating” stomach pains and tried to sit by the pool but after five bouts of diarrhoea in quick succession, he was violently sick and decided to go to his room.

Chris said he spent the next few hours rotating between being sick in the toilet and sitting on the toilet with diarrhoea including vomiting blood.

“It was bright red - my wife came in and screamed and started crying but I was out of it on the floor. I thought I was about to die.”

While his distraught wife rang reception for the on-site doctor as he continued to vomit blood

The medic called an ambulance and Chris was stretchered down from his room and taken to the hospital.

But when they arrived the ambulance refused to let him out until the couple paid £500.

Luckily their insurer agreed payment and then after being wheeled into A&E, the hospital also refused entry until they were paid £2,000 which again their insurer agreed to pay.

Chris then spent the next 17 hours being pumped full of the strongest antibiotics the hospital had along with separate IV drips of saline solutions.

A medic later diagnosed a “parasite” but didn’t tell them which one before discharging him.

When they got back to the hotel they told the reps what had happened but they claim that was the last they heard from them.

After collecting a cocktail of five prescription pills they returned to their room and were shocked when a hotel worker turned up with a bottle of sparkling wine.

“I couldn’t believe it. I thought it must be a joke. The last thing I wanted was alcohol.”

He said when he got home in he was sick for another month and had to take time off work and then developed a severe pain in his ribs which after trips to specialists - took nearly two years to go.

Marisa said: “I really thought my husband .Once we got back from hospital we were on our own. “They are playing Russian roulette with people's lives and it needs to stop.”

Nick Harris head of travel at Simpson Millar solicitors, who is handling all claims for affected holidaymakers, said Chris is “lucky he is still alive”.

Those suing TUI took ill in 2016 but Mr Harris claims TUI continued to send holidaymakers to without adequate health warnings

There have been outbreaks of cyclospora every year since which have prompted Public Health England and Foreign Office warnings.

Many of those who have taken the company to court claim say they only found out about the risks until after they got to Mexico in the form of a letter

The letter says TUI is investigating the matter with PHE and the Mexican authorities.

The judge hearing the case at Manchester county court ordered TUI in July to hand over evidence about what it knows but it has so far failed to do so.

“The company says it’s carrying out these investigations - what are the results of these investigations?” Mr Harris said.

He claims the investigation is likely to show “the land around there is contaminated and the produce that’s being shipped into these hotels is grown locally and it’s this that’s causing the poisoning”.

“Mexico is huge destination for them. I think it’s a cross between a cover-up and turning a blind eye,” he said.

“I sent letters to TUI and to ABTA in May this year when people started falling ill again warning them but they ignored me and still sent customers out there completely unaware they would catch the bug.

“They need to do much more to ensure their customers safety and put their customers’ health before profit.

“What TUI should be doing is saying there’s a problem which happens between every May and June in Mexico and that’s cyclospora so people have to take precautions. They don’t do that.

“They just sell the holiday on the basis that this is a wonderful holiday and by the way you might want to look at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website, which nobody ever does.

“The majority of people say if they had known about that they would have gone somewhere else.”

A TUI spokesman said: “As this is now a legal matter it would be inappropriate to comment at this time.

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