Man who witnessed illness abroad was "absolutely appalled"

A man who was onboard a cruise ship when people were struck down by sickness has revealed he was "absolutely appalled" that those in charge of the vessel let it set off on the trip.

He was on the Grand Princess when there was an outbreak of norovirus, the BBC reports.

This is a group of viruses that are the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the UK and symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

In some cases, people can also have a fever, headache, stomach cramps and aching limbs.

Some of the holidaymakers who caught the illness while on the ship, which docked in the UK recently, may seek compensation for their suffering.

According to the firm that operates the cruise liner, four tourists still had active symptoms of the condition.

There were around 2,500 passengers on the vessel, which had to return from the two-week Mediterranean cruise that had been scheduled.