A COUNCILLOR is suing a tour operator after the cruise ship he was on was hit by an Arctic glacier.

Councillor Julian Benington and his wife are suing UK company Discover The World following the incident in Svalbard, an Arctic territory of Norway, in August 2007.

Around 50 passengers were on the ship when a giant chunk of ice broke from a glacier and hit it, causing freezing water to flood the deck and the boat to tilt, hurtling passengers across the deck.

Cllr Benington and his wife are among 16 passengers who are suing the company for the injuries they suffered, as they say the captain of the ship should not have steered so close to the glacier.

Father-of-three Cllr Benington, who represents the Biggin Hill Ward and lives in Downe, says he and his wife Valerie suffered cuts and bruises.

The case will be heard at the High Court in London on March 22, and Cllr Benington said: “We are not claiming for a certain amount of money, it’s more about the principle.”

Describing the incident, the retired Met police detective chief inspector, said: "Pieces of ice about the size of footballs were raining down on the ship and the deck was flooded with water.

“It was just a case of grabbing something and hanging on for dear life. My wife lost her grip and started to slide across the deck, but I managed to grab hold of her as she went past.

“She could have slid into the water, which was so cold she would have died.”