TEARFUL bride Gillian Stewart today told how her honeymoon in Egypt turned into the holiday from hell.

The newlywed and her groom Mark McKissock, 35, accused holiday giant Thomas Cook of ruining their recent trip to the land of the Pharaohs and are now demanding their money back.

Gillian, a 26-year-old credit controller at Glasgow City Council Council, claims their nightmare began when they were switched to a different hotel just hours before they flew out for their seven-day break.

Once there, the couple said their dream holiday was spoiled by a catalogue of problems.

Gillian said: "I have just returned from the holiday from hell. The whole experience was awful and to make matters worse it was our honeymoon."

She and Mark, a spray painter, were wed on Friday, February 1, three days before they were due to jet out of Glasgow for Sharm El Sheikh.

They stumped up £745 to stay at the plush four-star Ghazala Gardens with its romantic walkways over the swimming pool.

But 48 hours before they were due to leave, Thomas Cook left a message on Gillian's mobile warning her of an "amendment" and urging her to call back. However, when she tried this the number was engaged continuously.

Finally, a day later, the couple were told their hotel was overbooked.

The firm offered to switch them to the Sonesta Beach Resort. The newlyweds, from the east of Glasgow, could have cancelled with a full refund but with their time off booked and cases packed chose to jet out as planned.

But the couple say they had to: Beg for in-flight meals for which they had paid; sit in the heat on a bus for an hour before the vehicle broke down and then wait more than half an hour for another bus.

Gillian and Mark claim they checked into the Sonesta Beach room to find their curtains hanging off hooks, cracked tiles in the bathroom, stains and cigarette burns on the bath, the door key broken and the bed "as if it was about to collapse with the slightest movement."

Devastated the place was not the romantic hideaway they expected, she and Mark complained and were put into another room. There they found chewing gum stuck to the bathroom floor and "filthy" bed linen.

Mark said: "There were at least 20-30 people on our flight shifted from the Ghazala Gardens to the same hotel as us. The rep said Thomas Cook was aware of the overbooking situation in November.

"We have written to complain to Thomas Cook."

A spokeswoman for the holiday giant said: "We were sorry to hear that their holiday did not meet their expectations."

She said the firm had no further comment until the probe was complete.