A British holidaymaker has been left for nearly a month in a Dublin hospital with serious injuries as his family cannot afford the €10,000 required to fly him home by air ambulance.
Peter Carter, 66, had only just arrived in the Irish capital when he suffered a serious fall at the Temple Bar pub, sustaining a broken neck, a deep cut to his forehead and extensive bruising.
Mr Carter was rushed to Mater Hospital's spinal unit where he was treated for his injuries, but when it emerged that he did not have sufficient travel insurance, his family were hit with the bill to bring him home.
Although he was covered by his European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for his hospital bills, he was not covered for repatriation.
He told the Irish Independent: "I spoke to the British Embassy and to the Foreign Office and they are going by the book.
"They're saying if there's no travel insurance, then there's no repatriation. I thought they might show a bit of compassion in this case but they're being very black and white about it."
Mr Carter's case certainly underlines the importance of securing even a
cheap travel insurance policy and checking the level of cover it provides before you go away.
