'Angry' Leeds gran protesting outside TUI office after 'dirty' £3k holiday

'I’m an angry Yorkshire woman who will continue to do this'

An “extremely angry” Leeds gran has been protesting outside a local TUI office after a “dirty” near £3,000 holiday.

Gran-of-four Judith Weelands, 73, from Farsley, holidayed with her husband in Cape Verde for a fortnight in January. She bought the “five-star” TUI holiday through a third-party and claims she found the rooms “dilapidated and dirty” with safety hazards.

After complaining to the company, Judith was “angry” at only receiving £290 after spending £2,872 on the getaway in April. TUI said they investigated the concerns raised and offered compensation in line with their terms and conditions. TUI considers the matter resolved after a “thorough investigation”.

Judith has since been protesting outside the TUI office, on Lands Lane, with a homemade sign at least twice a week.

Judith said: “I was mis-sold a TUI holiday, it wasn’t a five-star holiday. It was dilapidated and dirty. It cost nearly £3,000. The compensation offered was £290. I accepted the £290 for the simple reason TUI accepted that the hotel was filthy and I cleaned our room for two weeks.

“The first room was ridden with mosquitos, it smelled and you couldn’t open the blinds. It smelled of sewage. The second room was equally as dirty.

“I would like them [TUI] to relook at my complaint and give me my compensation. I am extremely annoyed I booked with a prestigious company with a package holiday. £290 is an insult. I’m extremely angry, I’m an angry Yorkshire woman who will continue to do this.”

Unfortunately, Judith didn’t think to take any pictures of the mess at the time as “we’re not from that generation” and only uses her phone to make calls.

TUI said the case has also been independently reviewed through Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), who upheld their decision. A TUI UK&I spokesperson said: "We're sorry to hear Ms Weelands was disappointed with parts of her holiday. Following her return, we thoroughly investigated the concerns she raised and offered compensation, which was accepted in April. The case was also independently reviewed through ABTA, who upheld our decision.

"We want every customer to have the best possible holiday experience, and we are sorry that some aspects of Ms Weelands' stay fell short of the high standards we aim to provide."