A couple have told how their dream of a relaxing foreign break turned into a nightmare after a booking blunder by staff at a holiday firm's new showpiece superstore in York.

WORRYING TIME: Rod and Kerry Cruckshank, of Wilberfoss, with their five-page letter about their holiday nightmare

Rod and Kerry Cruckshank, of Wilberfoss, paid £590 for a seven-day late deal to Spain's Costa Brava at Going Places' HolidayWorld store at Monks Cross shopping park.

But they had no idea then that their days in the sun would be spent chasing the travel firm, or that their return journey would take them via Barcelona and Liverpool.

For when the couple arrived at tour operators Airtours desk at Leeds/Bradford Airport to collect their flight tickets, they found there was no record of their booking.

And when Airtours called Going Places the firm, at first, said they had no record of the Cruckshanks at all. Eventually a manager at the Going Places store traced the booking and the Cruckshanks were able to get on the outgoing flight.

But the couple were told the flight on which they had expected to return was already full.

After spending their days in the sun telephoning Going Places and worrying about how they would get back, the couple were told about their return journey. They had to leave a day early and take a 90-minute cab journey from the Costa Brava to Barcelona before flying to Liverpool for a two-hour taxi journey to Leeds/Bradford Airport, where their car was parked.

Mr Cruckshank said: "It was absolutely unbelievable. We were supposed to be getting away from it all and enjoying ourselves. It was just a complete nightmare. We spent the whole time getting wound up because we were so concerned about how we were going to get back."

A Going Places spokeswoman said: "We are very sorry about the administrative error that was made. The customer was still able to make the holiday, although they did have to return to a different airport. We have paid all out-of-pocket expenses and we are currently discussing compensation with the customer."

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