Shropshire Star

Family holiday hit as storms leave Menorca hotel without electricity

A Shropshire family have been telling of how their hotel was left without electricity after a storm and tornado ripped through the Spanish island of Menorca.

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The hotel before the storm

More than 38,000 homes and scores of hotels suffered a massive power cut caused by lightning strikes and trees falling into electricity lines.

Pete and Mandi Gough from Harlescott, Shrewsbury, travelled to the island with their three children, nine, 11 and 12, for a half term holiday, staying at the Carema Club Resort.

On Sunday the intense low pressure crossing the Mediterranean hit the island in the shape of a huge thunderstorm.

Mr Gough said the thunderstorm took out out the power.

Pete Gough and his family wait to to be transferred to a new hotel

"We were staying at a water park but what we didn't realise was that what we thought were the slides were actually the walkways down the hill to the main complex.

"We found out that a tree had taken out a mains pylon and power was very limited, no lights or electricity on much of the island.

"Were were also told later on a tornado has passed through. We stayed put at the hotel when others left, for about 24 hours until jet2 told us we had to move. They were organising a mass evacuation of all their holiday makers who didn't have power in their hotels.

"We are now in a lovely hotel with another water park.

"The staff at the main hotel were amazing as was our hotel rep who worked a 15 hour shift helping us and then returning early the next day to start again.

"The main thing is we are all safe and can enjoy the remainder of our holiday, well until the rain returns at the end of the week."

He said that the family seemed to be blighted by weather problems on holiday.

They travelled to New York just after Hurricane Sandy and then had an overnight delay on a French holiday for their second holiday.