DOZENS of York people who forked out to obtain a "free holiday" prize after winning a draw are still waiting for their fun in the sun.

People all over North and East Yorkshire were sent letters from UK Consumer Competitions, of Bournemouth, telling them they had won the top prize in a grand prize draw.

The letters said their prize, sponsored by Holidays Direct, entitled them to free flights and seven days free accommodation in a self-catering apartment or hotel in Spain, Portugal or the Canary Islands.

The letters said a certificate entitling them to the holiday was valid for holidays taken within 18 months, and that all the lucky winners had to do to claim their prize was send a "processing fee" of £29.50 per person.

Several readers have contacted the Evening Press to say they had torn up such letters and thrown them in the bin.

But a woman from Seaton Ross called to say she had paid £59 to the firm in April, so that she and her husband could enjoy a free holiday.

She received a letter back acknowledging the processing fees and advising that she could now apply for her holiday.

She was asked to fill in a holiday survey sheet and reservation request form "to help us find the resort most suitable for your requirements."

It added: "We will then contact you, when you will be given details of your proposed holiday either by phone or letter. Please note you may not be contacted again until nearer to the date of your proposed holiday."

The woman said she had sent back the form, indicating the Canary Islands would be her preferred destination, followed by Portugal and Spain. And her preferred month of travel was August, followed by September or October.

But she had heard nothing more since then.

An elderly couple from Norton, Malton, said they had sent the firm a cheque for £59 at the beginning of June, but received nothing until yesterday when a survey form, posted in Manchester, turned up in their mail. But they said they had been told by trading standards officers that under the firm's small print, a holiday only had to be provided within 18 months.

Colin Rumford, head of trading standards at City of York Council, said it had received about 50 complaints from people who had paid out money to the firm, but were still waiting for their holiday.

lThe Evening Press attempted to call Holidays Direct and UK Consumer Competitions to give them opportunity to comment. We called several numbers published on the firms' literature. Numbers were either unobtainable, or got us through to answerphone messages. Directory Inquiries said they had no numbers listed for either Holidays Direct or UK Consumer Competitions in Bournemouth.

Updated: 11:36 Thursday, August 09, 2001