Three US visitors, who claim they have been emotionally scarred after a break-in ruined their Bermuda holiday, are threatening legal action.

The trio of women said they were all undergoing therapy following a terrifying intruder incident whilst they were staying at Mermaid Beach Club in Warwick last week.

And they said they were considering suing the accommodation, claiming that they did not ensure their safety during their stay.

Linda Bok, her sister Sandra Garmon and friend Kay Jordan, said they were all suffering from stress following the incident in which Ms Jordan awoke to find an intruder standing over her whilst she slept.

The pair fought and eventually the man fled. Later the women found a bread knife had been stolen and discovered a handbag strap close to the bed where the man had been.

Items had also been taken from the sisters' nearby room.

The women said they were further upset when emergency numbers given by hotel management failed to get a response, and with the lack of security at the premises.

Police arrived and reassured the women, but no hotel staff could be raised until the morning.

In addition, on leaving the next day, on August 9, they discovered they had been charged for calling the Police.

"We are all in therapy and trying to get over this,'' said Linda, of Annapolis, Maryland. "It was very traumatic, we are still in shock.

"It is a woman's biggest fear, having somebody enter your room when you are sleeping.

"You think you are safe on holiday, you feel comfortable because you are trying to relax and we were having a good time before this happened.'' The women complained that two emergency numbers for Mermaid management failed to raise any help, and they said no one came to their rooms the next day to offer assistance.

However, they added that a manager did call the Police and staff apologised for what happened.

Mrs. Jordan, of Tallahassee, is seeing a victim's advocate at her local police station to try and get over the incident. She said she is thinking about legal action and added that the hotel should have offered them a refund.

"I am just angry at the hotel, I want to take that hotel owner out of business because he has no right to be an owner when he can't take care of guests,'' she said.

It is understood there was no security on duty at the premises and the women complained that a lock on a patio door was insufficient.

Mrs. Jordan said to add insult to injury the hotel charged them for calling the Police in the early hours of the morning.

A spokesman for Mermaid Beach said they could not make any comment on the claims made by the women.

And Bermuda Police confirmed that the incident is under active investigation.

TOURISM TOU