Melton’s Thomas Cook shop closes leaving staff and customers devastated

The company’s shop in Market Place is closed today with a sign on the window simply stating: ‘This shop has been closed with immediate effect. All customer enquiries should be directed to the website thomascook.caa.co.uk for further information’.

In a statement this morning the company confirmed that an attempted financial rescue package had failed and that all the UK companies in its group had ceased trading, including Thomas Cook Airlines.

All holidays and flights provided by these companies have been cancelled all the retails shops, including those at Melton and Syston, have closed.

Gill Burton, of Melton, had bought a holiday in Rome for her daughter, Clair, to celebrate her 40th birthday but the collapse of the company means they might not now go.

It has been a double disappointment for them because they had earlier booked the trip through the Superbreak firm before it ceased trading last month and she is still trying to recoup the money on that.

Gill re-booked the same holiday through Thomas Cook, with departure next Monday, but has now had to tell Clair, who is autistic, that it has been cancelled again.

She told the Melton Times: “Clair is absolutely devastated.

“She had wanted to go to Rome for a long time and I’m promised her she would for her birthday but now it’s fallen through a second time.

“I’ve tried calling the company but haven’t been able to find out what’s happening.

“I spent around £1,000 on the Thomas Cook holiday and about the same on the first one which was cancelled and I can’t afford to spend anymore at the moment.”

We reported on Friday that worried customers who had booked package holidays through the Melton branch had been told they should not lose any money.

Those who are already on holiday will be found an alternative flight home through which the government is calling the biggest repatriation exercise since the Second World War.

But Thomas Cook say that anyone who has booked a package holiday and has not yet travelled will not lose out because of in-built protections through ATOL.

Are you a member of staff at the Melton branch who is worried about their job or are you a customer of the town shop who is concerned about losing your holiday and the money you spent on it?

Please email nick.rennie@jpimedia if you would like to speak to the Melton Times about the issue.