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A young woman and her boyfriend are pursuing legal action against Thomas Cook after they became severely ill during their stay at an Egyptian hotel.

Kayleigh Stannard, 26, and Luke Burns, 23, claim their 'holiday from hell' was caused by unsanitary conditions at the Stella Makadi Gardens Hotel in the resort of Makadi Bay last November.

The couple says they noticed insects around the eatery and birds inside the dining area, and chefs and kitchen staff were not wearing gloves when handling food.

'Holiday from hell': Kayleigh Stannard and Luke Burns say they became ill during their Egyptian getaway

They both fell ill midway through what was supposed to be a relaxing holiday in the sun, suffering from diarrhoea and severe abdominal pains.

Kayleigh developed a rash on her legs and was forced to take a week off work due to ongoing symptoms after she returned to her home in Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

She visited her GP and was shocked when she was diagnosed with Trichostrongylus (round worms), a parasite that occurs through the ingestion of infected larvae.

The post office worker said: 'It was such a shock to return home and hear that I had contracted a parasite. The illness ruined the holiday for me and my partner, Luke.'

Relaxing: A beach at the popular resort of Makadi Bay, Egypt is pictured in a file photo

She added: 'The conditions in the hotel's dining area were worrying; we saw chefs handling food without wearing gloves quite a few times and on occasions there were insects and birds flying around where the food was being served and eaten.

'This was supposed to be a dream holiday but it quickly turned into an absolute nightmare. It should have been a holiday to remember but is definitely something I'd rather forget.'

The couple have instructed travel lawyers from Irwin Mitchell to look into their case. 

Travel law expert Elizabeth Tetzner said Irwin Mitchell is investigating how the couple became ill and how Kayleigh became infected with the parasite.

The young couple has hired travel lawyers from Irwin Mitchell to look into their case against Thomas Cook

She said: 'The infection resulted in Kayleigh becoming extremely ill over a number of days and Luke suffered from similar symptoms - ruining their holiday and resulting in Kayleigh taking time off work for recovery when she returned back home.

"We hope that Thomas Cook will now work with us to provide Kayleigh and Luke with the answers they clearly need about these issues to allow them to move on and put the experience behind them.

'Gastric illness can have a devastating, impact on people's health and the effects of it cannot be underestimated.'

MailOnline Travel has contacted Thomas Cook for comment on the allegations.