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Chambers and Partners Directory (2009)
Mum Demands Answers Following Chemical Burns In Corfu
Published date:
22 Oct 2009
Susan Austin, the mother of two children who suffered chemical burns as a result of using their hotel swimming pool, has spoken of her frustration at still not knowing how it happened.
Mrs Austin and her family were among 42 British holidaymakers who have taken legal action against their tour operator following a stay at the Mitsis Roda Beach Hotel in July 2007. 33 of them suffered burns after swimming pools were apparently topped up with mystery chemicals.
Mrs Austin’s sons developed agonising rashes on their legs, arms, back and genitals after going in the pool on the first day of their holiday. Susan and her partner also suffered burns and were left unable to put on their clothes or leave their hotel rooms.
Despite having now agreed a settlement with their tour operator, the family have still not been told what caused the burns.
Although many hotel guests showed signs of chemical burning, staff did not warn other holidaymakers of the dangers and the pool stayed open and continued to be treated with chemicals.
Mrs Austin said: “When I realised we were not the only family affected, I approached the hotel manager. He told me that despite 100 children having been affected, the pool was safe to use as long as you showered before and after bathing.”
After initially advising the family to stay out of the water for a couple of days, the hotel doctor eventually admitted that the burns were caused by the chemicals in the pools.
Expert travel law solicitors at Irwin Mitchell have now reached a settlement for 42 holidaymakers, 33 who suffered chemical burns.
Jenny Brooks, the family’s lawyer, said: “Clearly something went badly wrong with the swimming pool at this hotel although we still don't know the precise reason why. As well as dealing with claims on behalf of 42 clients at the Mitsis Roda Beach hotel we have previously acted for a number of other clients who sustained chemical burns in swimming pools at other hotels.
“Often these injuries are caused because of inappropriate cleaning methods, too high a concentration of chemicals used in the pool or faulty pool filtration plants. Although clear guidelines on swimming pool safety exist in the UK and many other parts of the world, sadly these are not always followed and this can lead to problems including chemical burns or outbreaks of serious illness.
“Hotel owners and tour operators have a duty to often take adequate steps to ensure pool safety, but all too often we are instructed to help clients who have suffered injuries when things are not done correctly. Clearly more needs to be done to ensure good practice is consistently applied and British tour operators are best placed to ensure that this happens.
“While we are pleased to have reached settlement in these cases, the fact that the hotel management refused to close or drain the pool and failed to take their customers’ complaints seriously enough is a cause of great very concern. We hope that the lessons from are learned from this incident so that others do not have to go through the pain and upset that our clients had to endure at the Mitsis Roda Beach Hotel.”
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