A Norfolk pub landlord has told of an eight-week ordeal endured by members of his family after they contracted a parasitic infection during a holiday in Jamaica.

Paul Sandford, who runs the Railway Tavern in Dereham, took loved ones to the Caribbean from August 18 to September 1 for his 30th wedding anniversary.

They stayed at the Royal Decameron resort in Runaway Bay and, on the face of things, enjoyed a pleasant trip to the island paradise.

But after returning to the UK, several members of the group began noticing strange and painful markings on their skin.

The condition was later diagnosed by a tropical disease specialist as hookworm, which is thought to have come from cat faeces on the Jamaican beach.

Doctors confirmed that hookworm was extremely unlikely to be transmitted between people.

Mr Sandford said he had twice raised his concerns with Tui, the company used to book his holiday. There was no reply until Wednesday (October 12), when he received an email apologising for the delayed response.

A spokesman for Tui said the firm was "actively investigating" his concerns.

"What we've been told is that the hookworm infection has got in through people's feet from walking on the sand," added Mr Sandford.

"The results are absolutely horrific. You can see the worms moving in their feet. They've been treated but we are getting on for eight weeks without much improvement at all.

"If you don't treat this, it can get in your lungs. It's not transferrable, but it's not pleasant at all."

Mr Sandford said his main worry was Tui still offering holidays at the resort, despite he and other holidaymakers getting in touch about their experiences.

He added: "I've seen lots of similar complaints online. A woman from Manchester messaged me saying it had affected her.

"Something needs to be done about this because they [Tui] are still sending people out there."

The Tui spokesman added: "We’re sorry to hear about the Sandford family’s experience following their holiday.

"We are actively investigating the complaint and we’d like to reassure customers that we regularly audit our hotels in respect to health and safety, including hygiene."