A HORLEY couple are suing holiday giants First Choice after a nightmare trip to Turkey left their young son with salmonella.

Young Callum James was just 10 when he contracted the infection after a trip to the First Choice Holiday Village in Sarigerme.

The sporty Oakwood School pupil dropped to just four stone in weight and was ill for nearly two months while battling the illness.

His mum, Lisa Larkin said: "By the time he came back he needed to be hospitalised. It was scary. I could see him fading away in front of me and I wanted help."

Ms Larkin, who booked the £4,400 trip with her partner Alan James and three children Nicole, 10, Ryan, eight, and Callum, now 12, was joined by her sister and two children for the dream vacation in July 2008.

The whole group experienced health problems of some kind including eye and ear infections, diarrhoea and sickness.

But Callum was hit the hardest, becoming ill for a total of 49 days. Speaking from their Sangers Drive home Ms Larkin, 37, said: "He was a member of Horley Town Football Club but he couldn't play, he had so much muscle wastage, it was awful."

A writ issued by Pannone LLP at London's High Court says First Choice is being sued by 659 individuals. The complainants claim to have suffered severe stomach disorders after taking holidays at the company's Sarigerme resort.

It says many developed gastro-enteritis, including salmonella, c. difficile, and other infections.

A First Choice spokeswoman said: "Whilst we recognise that any level of sickness is unacceptable, the numbers of holidaymakers falling sick remains very low when the larger population is taken into consideration."

Paul McClorry, of Pannone, said: "These people had their holidays ruined through no fault of their own and we hope to reach an amicable settlement with First Choice, but to date this has not been possible."