A newsagent and his family told today how their dream Mediterranean Christmas cruise turned into a nightmare.

Bharat Amin, his wife Amita and their sons Sachin, eight, and Dhilan, six, were among 700 passengers forced off the Italian luxury liner Costa Riviera after sewage seeped into cabins.

Passengers complained and Italian cruise company Costa Crocherie flew them home free and refunded their money.

The company has admitted the ship was not ready to sail after spending four weeks in dry dock for refurbishment.

Mr Amin, 40, who runs a shop in East Street, Brighton, is now back home with his family in Hove.

He said: "It is my sons, I feel sorry for. They were really looking forward to spending Christmas on board a luxury cruise liner in the Med and telling their friends about visiting Egypt, Israel and Greece."

The Amin family paid £699 for each adult fare and £299 per child for the 11-day cruise.

When they stepped on board the ferry at the Savona, north Italy, the lounges looked new, the vessel was decorated for Christmas and everything seemed fine.

Their first inkling something was wrong was when Sachin used the toilet in the cabin and water came gushing out, flooding the bathroom.

They were told several other cabins had experienced similar problems, and the matter would be dealt with shortly.

As the liner left port, it was clearly listing. A crew member told Mr Amin the ballast had not been loaded correctly and would be adjusted during the voyage.

Mr Amin said: "If the sea had been rough, we would have clearly been in trouble."

Then the family was woken at 1am by the smell of diesel fumes in the cabin.

As they went on deck to escape the smell, they could clearly see the liner was listing to the right.

Mr Amin said: "The next morning everyone was complaining. The decks were awash with water and some parts of the ship really smelt.

"There were some weird smells and sewage smells. It was disgusting. We could not drink any water. We had to pay out for bottled water from the bars."

When the boat reached Naples, the Amin family went ahead with a pre-booked excursion. They were not eager to return to the Costa Riviera for another night.

Mr Amin said: "We saw people walking away from the ship with their suitcases. I asked what was going on and I was told the company had cancelled the cruise and was offering full refunds and free flights home.

"We collected our bags, arranged for a flight home, and that was the end of Christmas in the Mediterranean.

"We did not want to spend another night on board. I was worried for the health of my boys."