TWO Oxfordshire families told last night how trips to the Caribbean had been turned into holidays from hell because of a suspected dysentery outbreak.

The Simmonds and Edwardson families were both staying at the 941-room, four-star Bahia Principe San Juan complex, in the Dominican Republic, when about 1,000 holidaymakers were struck down.

Members of both families have spent the past week confined to their hotel rooms with sickness and diarrhoea from what is suspected to be amoebic dysentery.

The Edwardsons had been looking forward to their break after seeing their home threatened by the recent floods in Sunningwell, near Abingdon.

The Simmonds family, David, 46, Susan, 40 and son Thomas, 15, arrived back in Bicester yesterday, after cutting their two-week break short by seven days.

Mr Simmonds, of Trinity Close, said: "My beer belly is almost gone, which is the only good thing to come out of this nightmare.

"I'm over 6ft tall and weighed 17st 2lb when I left, but now I'm only 15st 11lb.

"We enjoyed a few hours on the beach before we were struck down - the resort was like a war zone. You couldn't go more than a few yards without seeing someone who was sick - people were fainting and passing out in the hotel itself and lots of mums were hysterical because their children had to go to hospital.

"It was a living hell and they were running out of ambulances to take people to hospital. The hygiene at the hotel didn't help. You weren't allowed to put toilet paper in the toilet - you had to put it in a bin in your room."

He added: "The holiday cost £3,100, including the price of a hotel at Birmingham Airport the night before we flew, and we shall try to claim the money back.

"Next time we shall definitely stay in the UK - I think Weymouth is looking a good bet."

Mr Simmonds said he and his family were sick on the plane returning home. His son has lost 21lbs in weight.

Sue Edwardson, 47, from Long Furlong Road, Sunningwell, her partner Steve Bulley, 47, and son, Alex, 17, were in the room next to the Simmondses.

Speaking from the hotel, Miss Edwardson said "My son had to go to the hospital with an ear infection he caught in the pool and we're still not well.

"The holiday cost us £3,000 on a late deal and it's the worst holiday I have ever been on. I have been sitting in our room crying my eyes out."

Emmie Fairbairn, a spokesman for the Foreign Office, said Embassy staff arrived at the complex last night to help guests. Eighty per cent are British.