DOZENS of Brit holidaymakers have retained lawyers to launch legal action against the Egypt hotel where a couple suddenly died, The Sun Online can reveal.

John Cooper, 69, and his 64-year-old wife Susan, from Burnley, died at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic hotel in Hurghada on Egypt's Red Sea coast on Tuesday.

Today safety experts branded the hotel an "accident waiting to happen" and a "repeat offender" with hygiene standards that have have been questionable for a long time.

Nick Harris, Head of Travel at Simpson Milar solicitors, told The Sun Online he had dealt with more than 40 cases of alleged illness at the Hurghada hotel.

He said: "Unfortunately I am not surprised. This is very concerning and people are rightly worried.

"Standards have been slipping and the initial indications are people have paid with their lives.

"This hotel has been a repeat offender with illness and obviously they have not cleaned up their act. Tour operators need to do much more to protect their customers when abroad."

And Paul McClorry, head of Travel Litigation at Hudgell Solicitors, said: "Prior to this week’s events, we were already representing and investigating a number of illness cases at this resort.

"We believe a full and systematic review of its health and safety processes needs to take place.

"Some of these cases date back to April of this year, which draws into question this hotel’s hygiene standards for a significant period of time - during which hundreds of people will have stayed here on holiday.

"Therefore the hotel’s hygiene procedures need to be very carefully considered for the entirety of this period."

He added that his company was currently representing three claimants and assessing another three to see if there is enough evidence to take action.

Health and safety expert Allen Wilson said: "Sadly this was an accident waiting to happen. In many cases instead of using experts like myself tour operators have now been using local reps to manage health and safety."

It comes as many other tourists came forward today to share images with The Sun Online of raw chicken they say the hotel served them.

Paul Vanstone, 41, was on holiday with his wife, mum and two kids when four of them were struck down with stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Paul, from Oxford, said: "There was a party of six of us that went.

"My wife was treated for gastroenteritis, my 16-year-old daughter went down with a vomiting and diarrhoea bug and two days before leaving I had really bad stomach cramps and diarrhoea."

And fellow guest Alison Cope, from Birmingham, said she has been at the hotel for two weeks, and five out of seven of her family members have been ill for around 10 days.

The 44-year-old, who flies home on Friday evening, said that other guests had been ill, saying: "The food is just disgusting, it's under-cooked. I know so many people have been ill.

"Half the time we don't know what it is and can't eat it because it's raw in the middle. We've spent almost two weeks at a five-star hotel eating bread and chips because we at least know what it is."

Thomas Cook told The Sun Online: "We are aware that a number of customers have come forward to say they have experienced illness while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada, Egypt.

"We are very sorry for those customers whose holidays have been spoiled.

"We take all illness very seriously and we will continue to investigate any outstanding cases."

Deutsche Hospitality, have been approached for comment.