A couple told how their dream cruise turned to a nightmare when their ship was hit by a hurricane.

Great-grandparents Toby Marshall, 80, and his wife Connie, 78, booked the £2,400 ten-day cruise with Travelscope Promotions to celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary.

They sailed from Southampton on October 19 but just four days into their voyage around Spain and the Mediterranean, Hurricane Irene struck their liner Funchal. The tail-end of the hurricane buffeted the liner so badly that furniture started to slide on deck. Later Mr Marshall, who has had major heart surgery, suffered a head wound when his dining table overturned.

Back at home at The Spindlers, off Church Street, Kidlington, Mr Marshall said: "Suddenly the ship was hit by a huge wave.

"The next thing I knew, we were scattered over the deck with the chairs moving all around us.

"The chairs in the lounge were very heavy but were not fixed to the floor and we think the regulations should be changed."

The former bus driver added: "At 1.30pm, we were sitting down to lunch, and they had just brought the main course when another wave hit and we all shot off our chairs. "There was glass everywhere. I was bleeding behind my right ear and on my cheek. The holiday brochure said 'days at sea are totally relaxing'. This one was just the opposite."

Because of the hurricane, their itinerary changed and they missed a number of planned trips to locations, including Gibraltar. Mrs Marshall added: "I was very concerned about safety on board Funchal. Quite a few people needed medical attention and although staff on board did a brilliant job I was concerned that there appeared to be only one doctor and one nursing sister available."

Mr and Mrs Marshall received an apology and £78 refund from Tim Knight, Travelscope's holiday services manager, who wrote: "I am sure you appreciate this was due to weather conditions which are clearly beyond our control."

Story date: Monday 01 November

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