A GRANDMOTHER whose husband suffered two brain haemorrhages on holiday has won her battle to claim back his £10,000 medical costs.

Valerie and William Eastwood, both aged 69, of Sandhurst Road, Orpington, were on a six-week holiday in Goa in January when Mr Eastwood fell ill and ended up in hospital for four weeks.

However when Mrs Eastwood contacted Halifax to make her insurance claim to cover his two operations, the company refused to pay because the couple’s policy only covered a trip of up to 31 days.

Yet grandmother-of-eight Mrs Eastwood said she was never aware of any such term in her policy and after fighting Halifax tooth and nail, she took her complaint that the company had "mis-sold" the policy to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

The ombudsman then brought about a settlement between the two parties with Mrs Eastwood being fully reimbursed for the money, which she had been forced to borrow from friends she was staying with in Goa.

Retired nurse Mrs Eastwood, who goes on holiday to the Indian state with her husband six weeks a year, now wants others facing a similar ordeal to fight their corner.

She said: “I had so much to worry about. It was a complete and utter nightmare knowing they weren’t there when you needed them most.”

A Halifax spokeswoman said: "We are very sorry for the distress that this has caused Mrs Eastwood.

"At the point of sale our staff will have explained the main benefits of the cover, and full terms and conditions were supplied to Mrs Eastwood.

"However considering the distress this has caused Mrs Eastwood, we have decided to honour the claim and Mrs Eastwood has been fully reimbursed for any costs incurred to her."