Terminally ill woman evicted from Mallorca holiday villa after travel company Villa Parade fails to tell her it cancelled her booking
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A terminally ill woman was evicted by police from a holiday villa, after the travel company failed to inform her it had cancelled her booking.
Lorraine Beasant was on a family trip to Mallorca – her last before her latest round of treatment for cancer – when she was forced to leave the five-bedroom property on the first night.
The 57-year-old, who was on holiday with her husband, Mike, her three grown-up children and friends, booked the £1,450-a-week break through Villa Parade in 2013.
Nightmare holiday: Lorraine and Mike Beasant were evicted from their villa during a family break to Mallorca
Luxury villa: The five-star property which the Beasants were evicted from in northern Mallorca
However, the company failed to tell Mrs Beasant she was no longer able to stay in the property, only sending her an email the day before her April 12, 2014, booking, which she did not read.
The 10 adults arrived at Villa Moncho - chosen because it had a downstairs bedroom so Mrs Beasant would not have to carry her medical equipment up stairs - using a code provided by Villa Parade.
However, neighbours alerted the Spanish owner, who called the police.
Mrs Beasant told MailOnline Travel: 'The owner and the local police turned up at about 9pm. My son came in and said "I'm sorry to do this mum, but we've got to move out".
'It was a shock. It really upset me to be evicted hours after arriving.'
Family break: Mr and Mrs Beasant, bottom right, were holidaying with friends and family in Mallorca
Popular destination: The Beasants were staying in Port de Pollenca in northern Mallorca
The property owner – who did not want to be named - claims he cancelled his contract with Villa Parade in November 2013.
He said he had no knowledge of Mrs Beasant's booking and called the police to help with translation.
Mrs Beasant, who has been told she has up to six months to live without treatment, said: 'We didn't see the email from Villa Parade as we were travelling.
'They knew we would be, so why they tried to contact us on that date is beyond me.
'It was to be the last holiday with my children before my treatment, which is going to be horrendous.
'Because my children live all over the UK, it was incredibly important to get this holiday together.'
Downstairs bedroom: Inside the villa Mrs Beasant booked with Villa Parade
Five-star property: The Beasants had booked Villa Moncho to accommodate their large party
Mrs Beasant's family was moved to a nearby villa through Villa Select, booked through Villa Parade the day before the party was due to arrive in Mallorca, but it didn't have a downstairs bedroom.
She said: 'I was ill during that week because I had to deal with the stairs all day, and when you're on oxygen… that was upsetting.
'I have emailed Villa Parade about the situation, and they said they would look into it and come back to us within 28 days.'
Jason Kelly, a spokesman for Villa Parade said: 'This matter is currently subject to an investigation in conjunction with ABTA and we are unable to make further comment at this time.
'Villa Parade would like to stress that they did try on four separate occasions to contact Mrs Beasant by phone to explain that the villa had been changed to a new property, but they could not get a response and on April 11, an email was issued stating that an alternative property had been arranged for her.
'Mrs Beasant however, arrived at the original villa, which, at the time was still being occupied by the owner.
'Shocking': Villa Moncho in northern Mallorca from where the Beasants were evicted
Family destination: The beach of Puerto Pollensa near to the villa the Beasants booked with Villa Parade
'Villa Parade can confirm the Mrs Beasant was moved to the new property later the same day.
'As a small independent villa operator, Villa Parade always put its customers first. And, as members of ABTA and ATOL, Villa Parade works tirelessly to ensure we provide the high standards expected by our customers, and the rules and regulations required by ABTA and ATOL.
'Villa Parade would also like to stress that we were not aware of Mrs Beasant's medical condition, but because everyone at Villa Parade are proactive supporters of Cancer Research UK we would like to offer Mrs Beasant and her family our sincere apology.'
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