AN ELDERLY couple who found themselves stranded 40 miles from home on a cold winter evening at the end of their coach trip to Yorkshire faced an 18-month fight for compensation from the holiday company.

Albert and Ann Webb, from Royal Wootton Bassett, say they endured a catalogue of mishaps on their three-day break with Diamond Holidays that ended with them dumped in Gloucester without transport.

Attempts to call the firm’s emergency number were met with a recorded message and when they approached the nearby taxi rank to ask how much it would cost to get home, the drivers told him it would be around £100.

“We didn’t have £100,” Mr Webb said.

Eventually they managed to get hold of their daughter Tracy, who drove over from Broad Hinton – an hour away – to collect them.

“We were frozen,” he said. “We had to get a coffee from Costa to warm up while we waited.”

Mr Webb accused the Market Harborough-based firm of stalling for months after he contacted them to complain.

“I’ve written to them numerous times. The first letter I wrote was two days after we got back,” said Mr Webb.

In January he wrote again, detailing the problems once more and asking for £100 – the equivalent of the taxi fare.

The last letter from Michael Wallis, customer services team leader, on February 15 said so much time had passed since their holiday that the company was unable to help them any further.

But Mr Webb, who has a complaint in to Association of British Travel Agents, responded with another letter and on Monday he was still waiting for a reply.

“They were clearly in the wrong," said Mr Webb.

"The ball is still in their court and I’m not prepared to give up. It was entirely their fault there was no taxi.”

Mr and Mrs Webb, who were then 77 and 76, were due to be picked up by coach from outside the Menzies Hotel in Swindon at the start of the holiday on October 17, 2014, but were puzzled when a taxi turned up instead and took them to Gloucester to meet the coach.

Following a three-hour delay when they switched coaches at services on the M1, they and the rest of the holidaymakers finally arrived at their hotel, missing out on an afternoon in York because of the wait.

On the second day the holidaymakers took a ride on the Settle to Carlisle railway, but when the train arrived at Carlisle the coach was not there. Even when the pick-up was re-organised, it failed to arrive on time.

Then on the third day, with a trip on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway planned, the driver took them to the wrong station.

“We had a map because we like to see where we are going and he asked to have a look at it,” said Mr Webb.

Even so, the driver took the group to Pickering station rather than Grosmont where they were supposed to board their train.

In a statement yesterday afternoon Diamond Holidays said it had investigated the issue.

“We carry thousands of happy and satisfied customers every year and Mr Webb’s dissatisfaction is certainly not the usual,” it said.

“It’s clear that there has been some delay in dealing with Mr Webb’s complaint – we never received his original letter and since then further letters have been sent to the wrong office or not been forwarded to us by other organisations.

“However, despite these delays we have spoken with Mr Webb today and resolved the matter with him. He has told us he is happy that the matter has now been concluded.”