A Beckenham mum who was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 has spoken of her difficulty finding a reasonable price for travel insurance.

Laura Sibley, 37, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma eight years ago and is now in remission.

Despite being cancer free, Laura was quoted premiums of £2,000 to get away on a much needed holiday.

She said: "I feel like the stigma of having cancer will last me a lifetime.

"I was desperate for a holiday after everything I’d been through, but all the travel insurers I approached quoted me thousands.

"I decided to take the risk and travel without cover and thankfully didn’t need to claim.

"I’m in remission now and the cost of getting travel insurance has slowly dropped but it’s a real worry as I’ve been warned that if in the future I have even a very minor procedure as a result of my cancer I might not be covered as insurers can link previous cancers with other conditions."

Laura raised her concerns with Macmillan Cancer Support and The Financial Conduct Authority has recently brought up the issue with the travel industry.

Fran Woodard, executive director of policy and impact of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “People with cancer deserve the same chance to enjoy a relaxing, restorative time away without worrying about extortionate premiums or travelling without cover.

"No two cancer experiences are the same and if travel insurers want to meet the need for people with cancer, they must update their oversimplified medical screening to reflect this.

"Insurance policies should be clear and fairly priced for everyone, and we will continue all our efforts to achieve this.”

Christopher Woolard, executive director of strategy and competition at the FCA, added: “People with pre-existing medical conditions feel poorly served by travel insurance.

"There are specialist services out there, but, often, people don’t know where to find them. We’ll work with industry to point people in the right direction and ensure this market works better."