THE family of a holidaymaker who died on a Greek island have urged people to boycott it for their own safety.

Relatives of Christopher Rochester stood outside travel agents in their home town of Chester-le-Street with placards handing out warnings to shoppers.

The 24-year-old died in Andreas Papandreou Hospital in 2000 after he fell 45ft from an apartment balcony in Faliraki on Rhodes Island.

Three doctors were convicted of manslaughter by neglect in 2003 but last month the conviction was quashed by a Greek court.

His family are now warning tourists that they cannot rely on the health service or the legal system on the island for back up should anything go wrong.

Mr Rochester's brother Keith said: "I would not recommend anyone to go to that island because if there is an accident and they go to hospital they may not survive.

"One of the doctors said in court that they get ten drunk British tourists a night and that they can't treat them all. What kind of attitude is that for a doctor to have?"

The trial heard that Mr Rochester was left lying on a trolley and ignored despite sweating heavily and asking for a drink.

Greek authorities gave the cause of death as a ruptured kidney but a British inquest revealed that if X-rays been taken they would have revealed a broken pelvis and internal bleeding. Mr Rochester's stepfather George Cummings said: "Other tourists are going to die on that island.

"It may be this season, it may be next, but we guarantee it will happen.

"They fill the tourists full of alcohol with cheap drink offers then walk away when someone has the misfortune to have an accident.

"They can't have their cake and eat it. This family is going to make sure they choke on it."

The family is meeting North Durham MP Kevan Jones MP and Stephen Hughes MEP in April to discuss taking the case further to get justice for Christopher.

They plan to take it to the Supreme Court in Greece and the European Court of Human Rights.