A PLYMOUTH family say they have been left thousands of pounds out of pocket by their second holiday nightmare in just 12 weeks.

'Cursed' Karen Harris was left stranded in Egypt with an undiagnosed broken leg when a volcanic ash cloud grounded flights earlier this year.

Now the 42-year-old has been forced to shell out twice for a trip to Turkey after the sudden collapse of tour operator Goldtrail.

The break was a Christmas present for Karen's teenage children — and potentially the Eggbuckland family's final holiday as a unit.

But Goldtrail went into administration on Friday afternoon, leaving 16,000 Britons abroad and an estimated 50,000 summer holidays in doubt.

Karen, who was due to fly on August 2, said: "I'm still in shock. It was supposed to be a present for the kids because they've been so good at looking after me.

"Everything looked perfect — then I got the e-mail at 2am.

"I thought it was a joke after what happened in Egypt, somebody winding me up.

"It's a disaster. I must be cursed."

Karen's holiday hell began in April when she slipped on water and fell into a fountain during an organised tour.

Egyptian doctors told her she had torn a ligament and, after battling through the pain and the ash cloud chaos to find a flight home, the Derriford Hospital healthcare assistant returned to work.

A colleague eventually persuaded her to have an X-ray, which revealed breaks to her leg and ankle.

She was determined to enjoy the £1,220 Turkish break with pal Emma, husband Gary, 43, and children Alison, 19, and 16-year-old Daryl, before facing surgery on August 17.

They have now shelled out significantly more than the original price to rebook with a different firm — and face extra travel and insurance costs that bring the holiday's current cost to around £2,500.

"I'm not going to let it defeat me," Karen said. "We are determined to have a special holiday.

"But I think it's very naughty that this should be allowed to happen. I think the Government should be able to step in before people lose money.

"People work their socks off all year for their holidays; I've been doing overtime and extra shifts to pay for this."

Surrey-based Goldtrail had been specialising in low-cost holidays to Turkey and Greece for more than a decade. Its collapse follows that of fellow tour operator XL in 2008.

The "vast majority" of stranded UK holidaymakers were due home by last night, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said.

Authorities yesterday moved to reassure customers they could submit claims to claw back lost cash.

Goldtrail customers who are overseas can telephone the CAA helpline on 0044 203 441 0846, while passengers with bookings are advised to contact their travel agent or an alternative CAA helpline on 0844 856 2585.