A couple whose £4,000 dream cruise aboard the Aurora turned sour have slated a compensation offer of £106.

Raymond and Mary McCourt, of Staplers Road, Newport, Isle of Wight, were among hundreds hit aboard the P&O liner by a highly contagious stomach bug.

Mr McCourt, 70, a retired newsagent, was unimpressed by the amount of compensation offered, adding: "To be offered just £106 is an absolute insult."

The cruise in November was a present from the couple's daughter Heather and was the first time that Mrs McCourt had been abroad.

After a week on board almost 600 out of 1,800 passengers contracted the Norovirus, which causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea. Mr McCourt said: "The first week of the trip was perfect, but the stomach bug was a nightmare. There was a period of three days when you were kept in confinement in your cabin.

"Our cabin was not cleaned during the whole time and the sink was blocked. By the time we felt well enough to go ashore at Athens, we were not allowed to get off the boat by the authorities."

The couple and their daughter have written to the company on a number of occasions outlining their complaints about treatment on board and since returning, but have yet to receive what they regard as a satisfactory response since being offered the compensation, which is for money off another cruise.

Mr and Mrs McCourt have vowed never to travel with P&O again and are planning to seek legal advice.

A P&O spokesman said: "We are not discussing compensation in the media, but we are speaking to individuals who were on board the Aurora."