A cancer patient has slammed travel companies for upping their prices amidst Thomas Cook's collapse after her holiday fell through two weeks before she starts treatment.

Christine Monks, from Stone, Dartford, criticised 'greedy and scandalous' holiday businesses for nearly doubling their prices as the company ceased trading on Monday after 178 years.

The 65-year-old was due to fly to Alcúdia, in Majorca, yesterday with her husband Fred and sister Pauline for a relaxing getaway before starting drug therapy for kidney cancer.

However, they've managed to rebook a holiday a couple days later.

She said: "We booked the holiday back in April, a day before I found out I had cancer actually, and then treatment was booked for early October, but we've had to delay it a week because of the collapse.

"When we were looking at prices for the same day and locations prices had gone up by £600 or more. Companies are saying it's supply and demand but it's disgusting. They only care about making money.

"We're lucky enough that we're in a position to be able to book another holiday while we wait for our money to come back from the collapse one, but not a lot of people are the same."

"It has been very stressful. It didn't even look like I would make it to holiday time after I was told about the cancer." - Christine Monks

Mrs Monks, who works in Gravesend at Age UK, admitted the whole experience has mounted to the stress of heading in for cancer treatment soon.

She added: "It has been very stressful. It didn't even look like I would make it to holiday time after I was told about the cancer. But then we got here and I was looking forward to a relaxing week away to take my mind off it.

"I'm still looking forward to going away on Saturday, but it's stress that isn't needed before the treatment which isn't very nice."

While search prices for holidays with her sister Mrs Monks noticed the rise as some locations shot up from £800 to £1,300 in minutes.

Thomas Cook stopped trading on Monday after nearly two centuries.

The travel firm employed 9,000 people in the UK and 12,000 globally and has a number of branches in Kent.

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