A Bradford football fan is threatening to sue the holiday firm who put her in touch with a company selling World Cup tickets after the official receiver was called in to investigate it.

Karen Mace, 31, a solicitor's clerk, approached Thomas Cook in Kirkgate in December last year for advice about booking two tickets for her and fianc Philip Rogers for England's match against Columbia on June 26.

The company said they could provide five days accommodation in France for the couple, who live at Fieldhurst Court, Bierley, but said she would have to contact another company for the tickets.

She was given the number for Great Portland Entertainments Limited, in London's Regent Street, which Miss Mace contacted and sent £400 for the two tickets.

In January this year Miss Mace then booked the five day holiday at Thomas Cook's Market Street Branch.

But last Thursday the Manchester United fan learnt that the company she and 40,000 others had sent a total of £2.4 million cash, had stopped trading.

A DTI spokesman said the official receiver had been called in and a final hearing arranged for July 22 to decide whether the company should be wound up.

Since then Miss Mace has seen no sight of her treasured tickets or her money.

The solicitor's clerk is blaming Thomas Cook for putting her in touch with an unauthorised agent, and plans to sue them.

She said: "I've contacted Thomas Cook and they said even if I cancel the holiday it will cost me the full amount in cancellation fees.

"We only go on holiday once every two years and I only booked to go to France because of the World Cup. I would never have got the tickets from Great Portland if Thomas Cook hadn't given me the number. They should have said to me that they hadn't checked this company out."

A Thomas Cook spokesman said the company sympathised with Miss Mace's situation and had tried to get the tour operator to waive cancellation charges but it had refused as the trip was not linked to the tickets.

The spokesman added: "At no point did we recommend this (Ticket) company to Miss Mace. In fact we made it clear that we did not actually deal with this company, and that she would have to book tickets with them direct, which she subsequently did."

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