A HOLIDAYMAKER was bitten more than 400 times by bed bugs thanks to an infested mattress at her Lanzarote hotel.

Furious TUI customer Tracy Leach, 54, from Kidsgrove, Staffs., was on holiday with husband Chris staying at the Puerto del Carmen when the nightmare unfolded.

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She told the "This was the last thing you expect. You might have to deal with an upset tummy or some mosquito bites, but you'd never think about bed bugs.

"We turned over the mattress in the room and it was infested. I was disgusted – these things had been feeding on me in my sleep. I broke down crying. It was vile."

The couple had stayed at the same hotel last year and say they encountered no problems.

Tracy first thought she had been bitten by mosquitoes, but a Spanish doctor later told her she had chicken pox.

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However she was certain that the diagnosis was wrong, and when they investigated their mattress they realised it was infested.

They were moved by their TUI rep to a new room, while their luggage was fumigated.

She then returned to the doctor and was given steroid and antihistamine injections.

Chris, 52, said: "I feel really sorry for Tracy having to experience it all. No-one should have to go through that.

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"When we turned the mattress over I was shocked. I never expected to see anything like that in a million years.

"The hotel did everything they could, but I feel it could have been avoided in the first place if they checked their mattresses on a regular basis. Bugs are not uncommon in hotels as lots of people stay there.

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A TUI spokesman said: "We’re really sorry to hear about Mrs Leach’s experience. We’ve since been in direct contact to apologise and offer a full refund which the customer has accepted.

"We’d like to reassure customers that we regularly audit all of the hotels we feature in respect of health and safety, including hygiene."