LIVERPOOL’S biggest cruise operator was last night defending itself against a barrage of angry passengers after its norovirus-hit liner returned to the city.

Fred Olsen cut short the liner Boudicca’s Mediterranean trip after an outbreak of the vomiting illness.

More than one in four of the 1,066 passengers on board were struck down by the virus.

They had to spend up to five days confined in their cabins while they recovered on what should have been a luxury cruise of a lifetime.

Passengers, who had paid upwards of £1,399 to go on the trip, last night criticised the firm for the meagre compensation on offer and for not telling them about previous outbreaks of the virus on the ship.

Five of Boudicca’s winter cruises saw outbreaks of the illness, whose symptoms include debilitating vomiting and diarrhoea, on board.

And the firm also confirmed one of the ship’s crew had fallen ill even before the ship had departed from Liverpool on April 6.

She was in quarantine a day before the liner set sail and stayed in confinement for four days into the voyage.

But Fred Olsen chose not to tell passengers because it would have been “impractical” to do so.

The firm says there is no evidence the virus lingers from sailing to sailing. It claims a passenger brought it on board.

Fred Olsen’s director of planning, ports and logistics, Matt Grimes, said all passengers had been given £100 as a goodwill gesture on board and would receive a pro rata cash refund for the two days the trip was cut short. They are also being offered vouchers for 50% of the value of any time they had to be confined to their cabins during the cruise.

Mr Grimes added: “All our evidence points to the fact that it was brought on board by a 74-year-old female passenger.

“She reported to the medical centre on the evening of April 7. She told us she had been ill since 11pm the previous evening, roughly five hours after we embarked.

“This suggests to me that the person was already ill before she got on board.

“We had a crew member affected. There was one on board, she was already confined [in her cabin] one day before the cruise started. She didn’t come out until four days into the cruise.”