A LEWDOWN family?s dream holiday in Greece turned into a nightmare when all three children were struck down with serious gastric illness. Paddy Loud, aged 12, had to be hospitalised and stabilised with antibiotics after just two days when he and the rest of the family were staying at the Louis Zante Hotel in Laganas, Zante. His younger brothers George, three, and one-year-old Morgan, also fell sick. On the family?s return to the UK, little Morgan was diagnosed with salmonella poisoning. Now the family is claiming ?substantial damages?, along with 19 other holiday makers who stayed at the same hotel. Richard Loud, the boys? father, said the family?s first impressions of the all-inclusive Louis Zante hotel had been positive: ?It had such beautiful grounds, it was like coming to paradise,? he said. Soon, though, the family noticed that the public toilets in the hotel were dirty and that sewerage smells were evident around the complex. They were also concerned about the smell of the water in their rooms, the dogs that roamed around the hotel, and the birds that landed on tables in the dining areas. Beginning on the third day of their stay, the children ? one by one ? became violently ill. ?You?ve never seen anything like it,? father Richard said, ?Paddy was so ill he was having diarrhoea every quarter of an hour. By halfway through the first week, we had to have separate rooms because he was so bad.? Paddy eventually had to be hopitalised at the Zakynthos General hospital ? an hour?s drive from the hotel ? where the continuing illness of his brothers made it difficult for his parents to visit him. Richard and his wife Mandy Hayes also hardly saw each other during the holiday which they had all looked forward to. ?It was a complete disaster really. We never saw much of each other,? said Richard. ?One of us would stay in the room with the little kids while the other looked after Paddy or went down to each and then we?d swap around.? Mandy added: ?It was a huge disappointment to save up and go on a holiday, only to spend 12 days of the holiday confined to our hotel room.? During the family?s stay, they heard reports of between 20 and 30 other people becoming ill at the hotel. Along with many of those families, they are now claiming damages from First Choice Holidays ? the tour operator who organised their holiday ? through the personal injury law firm Irwin Mitchell. In a statement, First Choice stated that it is ?genuinely concerned to learn of any illness reported in our properties, and would like to reassure the Loud family, and indeed all of our customers, that their health and safety is of paramount importance.? The company confirmed that its legal department is currently in direct contact with the Loud?s solicitors but is currently unable to comment on liability for legal reasons. Prette Sudera, who is representing the Loud family, said: ?As well as receiving fair compen-sation they hope that the poor conditions com-plained of at the hotel are rectified so that future holidaymakers do not suffer similar exper-iences.? As well as representing clients who stayed at the Louis Zante hotel this season, the legal firm is also acting on behalf of a family that stayed at the hotel in 2005 and suffered from a gastric illness, which was confirmed as salmonella.