A MAN who had to cancel his holiday after being struck down by a life-threatening disorder has received a refund after seeking advice from trading standards officers.

Trevor Rowlands, from Middlesbrough, cancelled his Cyprus holiday after developing Guillain Barre syndrome, a life threatening, paralysing disorder, which put him in intensive care at The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, in April last year.

His insurance company refunded all the expenses for his May holiday to Paphos except for £183 - the taxes, fees and charges element of the flight price.

The insurers told Mr Rowlands and his wife that the travel company ought to reimburse these costs, but the company refused.

The Rowlands sought help from Middlesbrough Council Trading Standards Consumer Advice and following a court case, they received a cheque for £233.60 from the travel company.

Jane Dent, from the Middlesbrough consumer advice centre, said: "The majority of airlines do refund at least part of the taxes, fees and charges if a passenger requests this when they are forced to cancel a booking.

"It was disappointing that Mr Rowlands was forced to use the court system to recover his costs in this case.

"This meant obtaining a refund was a lengthy process, involving a complex legal argument concerning air passenger duty."