A FAMILY from Truro say they are being held in isolation in "totally inadequate" conditions after arriving back from a wedding in South Africa.

Not only that but they are having to pay nearly £9,000 for the privilege as well as the extra parking period for their car.

Hannah and Richard Pickersgill and their children Rory, eight, and Erin, five, Hannah's brother Bill Murgatroyd's family and her mother Jackie Murgatroyd are currently confined to three different quarantine hotels following a trip to South Africa for Jackie's other daughter’s wedding. So far for the three rooms they have had to pay a total of £8,935.

The families live in Truro and St Newlyn East and daughter Meg has lived in South Africa for 12 years. Because of the pandemic they had not seen her for over two and a half years.

When they left the UK on November 21, South Africa was not on the red travel list and they had never heard the word ‘Omicron’.

They say when they arrived back in the UK on Saturday, December 4 after six hours of being bundled onto crowded buses and held in long queues without seating, food or drink Hannah and family finally checked in at 1.30am in the morning. The ‘family’ room Hannah, Richie and their two children were allocated was "totally inadequate" say the family.

"It obviously hadn’t been cleaned, it was very dusty and dirty and had someone else’s dirty pants in the bathroom," said Mrs Murgatroyd. "The windows don’t open. They have one chair to share between the four of them for 11 nights. They are being fed on junk food and fizzy drinks."

Mrs Murgatroyd said the minute her daughter entered the room her breathing changed. She said her daughter is asthmatic but hasn’t had a bad flare up for years.

"When they complained about the state of the room they were sent a vacuum cleaner and cleaning materials," she said. "My son-in-law, Richie, blitzed the room."

She says Hannah’s condition continued to deteriorate and at one point her condition was so bad an ambulance was called.

She said the doctor and paramedic spoke to CMT, the UK Government’s Corporate Travel Management, and recommended that she should be moved, but they say have no more rooms in the area. "Instead they offered to allow her out for fresh air every two hours. Ridiculous," said Mrs Murgatroyd.

Her daughter, Hannah, has been assessed by a second doctor and now put on steroids.

The family want Hannah and her family released from the quarantine hotel on medical grounds. They say they are willing to quarantine at home in Truro and have a network of friends who will ensure that they do not need to leave their house. They say they have a car with them so will not be using public transport.

Today she is awaiting the result of her day eight test but cannot officially leave until Wednesday.

They said they have sent an email and left three answer machine messages to MP Cherilyn Mackrory, but have heard nothing back.

"Apparently the only agency that can do anything is the Dept of Health and Social Care but no one can contact them," said Mrs Murgatroyd.

The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for a comment as has Cherilyn Mackrory MP.