Why people are so angry with Thomas Cook today

A tragic story

In 2006 British children Bobby and Christi Shepherd, aged six and seven, died from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty boiler in a hotel in Corfu.

In a 2010 criminal trial in Greece three employees from the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel were convicted of manslaughter, while last week an inquest in the UK found package holiday firm Thomas Cook had "breached their duty of care" by not carrying out an adequate safety audit.

According to today's Mail on Sunday, Thomas Cook received £3.5million in compensation after seeking to claim back costs related to the incident.

The parents' reaction

Bobby and Christi's parents, from Wakefield in North Yorkshire, said they had received only a tenth of that figure.

Their mother Sharon Wood said it was not about the money but that "it seems our children's lives are worth only a fraction of Thomas Cook's reputation".

Father Neil Shepherd father said Thomas Cook had "hidden behind a wall of silence and they have refused to answer any questions for almost nine years".

What has Thomas Cook said about the claims?

Thomas Cook has refused to comment on the actual amount of compensation it received following the deaths of the two children.

But a spokesperson said: "After it was clear that the hotel was responsible for the tragedy all parties affected were compensated and Thomas Cook received a compensation that partly compensated for the costs related to the incident."

The representative added that "some of the costs incurred up to and during the trial in Corfu in 2010" and that a letter from chief executive Peter Fankhauser had been sent to Bobby and Christi's parents to say "sorry".