Travel insurers face a weekly bill of £5.3m

The ABI claimed that in the last year travel insurers paid out £275m in meeting the cost of emergency medical treatments for UK travellers who fell ill abroad with the cost of medical expenses claims rising by over 270% in the last six years.

The trade body also noted that there had been a trebling of claims for overseas medical treatment to almost 6,500 cases a week.

It added that stomach upsets, ear infections, allergies and heart problems were the most common illnesses requiring medical