Top public school cancels dream holiday to Caribbean and calls in police after £150,000 paid to tour operator goes missing
By Tara Brady From Daily Mirror
Parents at Wrekin College, in Shropshire, paid thousands of pounds
Money was paid to a tour operator up front but no bookings were made
Pupils, some parents and six teachers due to fly out on April 7
One parent alone is said to have lost £10,000
Wrekin College has paid all affected a refund of £1,800 each
Police are investigating the disappearance of around £150,000 paid by a school to a tour operator for a dream Caribbean sporting holiday for pupils that never materialised.
Parents of children at Wrekin College, near Telford, Shropshire, had forked out thousands of pounds for the luxury sunshine break to Barbados on April 7.
But they were devastated after the cricket and netballing holiday was scrapped at the last minute.
Police have been called after disappearance of £150,000 paid by Wrekin College (pictured) to a tour operator for a dream Caribbean holiday
One parent alone is said to have lost £10,000 after the money was paid up front to a tour operator but no bookings were made.
A total of 46 pupils, some of the members of their families and six supervising teachers were all due to have jetted out for the 12-day luxury get-away.
They had each paid £1,800 to the operator for the trip, either directly or through the school, although some of the family members making up a supporters group are understood to have paid more to upgrade travel and accommodation arrangements.
The fee-paying school reported the matter to West Mercia Police last week after failing to get the money returned and its solicitors are now to sue the operator in an effort to recover it.
Wrekin College has, in the meantime and as a gesture of good faith, paid all the pupils, staff and family members affected a refund of £1,800 each.
Parents of children at Wrekin College paid thousands of pounds for the luxury sunshine break to Barbados
A school spokeswoman confirmed the planned trip would not now go ahead, saying: ‘It is a great disappointment to Wrekin College that this school trip has had to be cancelled.
‘The tour operator organising the trip had failed to make the necessary bookings.
‘A full refund of the tour cost is now being sought.’
She said the matter was referred to police, after consultation with parents, and to the school’s solicitors.
One of the school’s most famous pupils is former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair.
The school reported the matter to the Action Fraud central reporting centre on Monday.
It will now be forwarded to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau based with the City of London Police.
