A NELSON law firm has helped 26 passengers who contracted norovirus on board a cruise ship claim £42,500 in compensation.

Your Holiday Claims, a division of Farnworth Rose Solicitors, based in Kenyon Road, successfully forced cruise operator Fred Olsen to agree a settlement for affected on board one of its ships, Boudicca, between November 2009 and April 2010.

Six separate cruises were affected by the outbreaks, as passengers suffered from severe symptoms including sickness, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps.

Many of those who fell ill said that they were unaware of the extent of the previous outbreaks Tracy Stansfield, the holiday claims solicitor at Your Holiday Claims who handled the case, said: “The illness suffered on board the Boudicca cruise ship was a very serious and sustained outbreak which spread from cruise to cruise.

“Although the claims have been settled, Fred Olsen have not accepted responsibility for the outbreaks.

“We have now been fighting for our clients for four years and everybody here at Farnworth Rose Solicitors is delighted.”