A Hull based family who spent £1,700 on a holiday at the recently opened Lanzarote Palm Hotel in Puerto del Carmen arrived to find that all was not as it had appeared in the brochure and that they were staying on a building site, according to local press reports in the UK.

Jamie Foster, along with partner Darrel Greig and two year old son Harvey, were expecting a week of four star luxury and relaxation when they booked the break with Thomson. But on arrival in August they discovered a chaotic scene, with builders still hard at work, exposed wiring dangling over the pool and room balconies so loosely affixed that one actually fell off during their stay.

The Lanzarote Palm, formerly the Plaza Palmeras Complex, had been undergoing a full refit under the aegis of owners Ginestar Hotels and according to their website the new facility was fully operational from July 15th. However Ms Foster and family clearly found that this was not the case, as building work spilled over into their break. On requesting alternative accommodation the couple were turned down flat by Thomson, who instead proffered a compensation payment of £450.