Court orders travel firm to pay £46K

A TRAVEL agent that specialised in arranging religious pilgrimages has been sentenced for causing customers to lose hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Tameside Council Trading standards took action against Ashton Hajj and Umra Ltd – which traded as Ashton Travel – after receiving more than 40 complaints about the firm, based on Oldham Road, Ashton Under Lyne.

Customers – many using their life savings – had paid thousands of pounds to travel on a Hajj Pilgrimage, only to be told days before they were due to depart that they had not been allocated a visa and they were unable to travel.

Over 230 people are known to have been affected although more victims could yet come forward.

Ashton Hajj and Umra Limited yesterday pleaded guilty at Minshull Street Crown Court to trading with a lack of professional diligence.

The court fined the company £6,700 with £5,000 costs and ordered it to pay £34,300 in compensation.

Pilgrims were not told by the company that there was a possibility that they may not be able to obtain visas.

It is estimated that the pilgrims involved in this case lost in excess of £600,000  – although this figure may increase if more victims come forward. All of the victims had paid cash which had been forwarded to airlines and hotels in Saudi Arabia.

In sentencing, his Honour Judge Lever said: “an aggravating feature of the offence was that the defendants had been issued with a written warning in 2012 and so were on formal notice as to the catastrophe and loss caused to the general public by not putting customers in the picture.”

The convictions follow a two-year investigation by Tameside Business Compliance Trading Standards.

Tameside Council executive member Cllr Allison Gwynne, who is responsible for public protection, said: “The financial and emotional consequences for Pilgrims were huge as all Muslims are required to make this trip once in their lifetime. Many of the victims had used their life savings to cover the costs. They had put their faith in the company to act professionally and make all the necessary arrangements – only to be told days before they were due to go that they could not travel.”