HOLIDAYMAKERS are furious after budget tour operator Lowcostholidays went into administration.

Local residents have been forced to fork out hundreds of extra pounds to continue their existing holidays — with others preparing to pay more to keep their future bookings.

The operator announced on Friday evening that it had ceased trading — affecting an estimated 27,000 customers currently at resorts as well as a further 110,000 who had booked future trips.

One affected customer is former Astley Bridge Cllr and businessman Stuart Lever, who was in the Portuguese resort of Carvoeiro in the Algarve when he found out about the company’s collapse.

After returning from a day-trip, Mr Lever, aged 47, and his wife and two children found themselves locked out of their hotel room and were forced to pay an extra £500 to continue their stay.

He said: “We couldn’t believe it when we were not able to get into the room.

“We went to talk to the manager of the hotel (Vale De Lapa) and he explained that Lowcostholidays had gone bust and that we would have to pay an extra 610 euros for the remaining night of our holiday.”

Mr Lever, who will return to Bolton today, said he now believes the company knew they were in trouble as they were offering cut-price deals.

He said: “We don’t usually go for package deals but this was really cheap and it makes me think they knew they were going bankrupt — luckily we had the extra money to cover us, but there were some people there who didn’t and they didn’t know what to do.”

Mr Lever said he is confident of getting his money back under the Consumer Credit Act.

Leigh resident Tracey Elliot, is facing a nervous wait after booking a holiday to Tenerife in October for herself and three friends with Lowcostholidays.

After contacting the hotel, she found that they will honour her booking but she was told she will have to pay the fee of £600 again.

The 51-year-old also believes she was sold a discount deal by a company aware of its financial problems and is furious about it.

She said: “I initially saw the holiday and they were asking for a £56 deposit — when I went to book it a bit later they wanted the money in full, which I thought was odd.

“Now it makes me think that they knew what was happening and were trying to get as much money as possible before they went bust.

“It is incredibly annoying to think that my money may have gone to line the pockets of directors who knew they were in trouble.”

Ms Elliot now faces a nervous wait to hear if she will be refunded the money and has lodged a complaint with Smith and Williamson, which has been appointed as administrator for the failed tour operator.

Administrator Finbarr O’Connell said the company’s problems were partly due to a “significant market headwind” in the run-up to last month’s EU referendum and compounded by the eventual Leave vote.

Holidaymakers seeking information about their bookings should visit lowcostholidays.com