Family of ELEVEN jetting off on £7,000 four-star Turkish holiday discovered at the airport that conwoman travel agent had never booked the break Maureen Kay and family were due to fly to turkey from Manchester Airport When they arrived at check-in, they were told that their booking didn't exist Mrs Kay had booked with the Turkish Riviera Travel agency in Hull But the travel agency had run into financial difficulties shortly afterwards Agency owner Ellen Harrison had spent the money covering other trips A family of eleven who spent almost £7,000 on a four-star holiday turned up at the airport with their suitcases to find that they had been conned by their travel agent who never booked the trip. Maureen Kay and her family were told that their tickets to Turkey bought from the Turkish Riviera Travel agency in Hull were forgeries when they arrived at the departure hall at Manchester Airport. Despite paying £6,800 for flights and accommodation at the Titanic Beach Lara Hotel near Antalaya, travel agency owner Ellen Harrison, 49, spent the money and failed to make the booking. Stranded: Maureen Kay, left, and ten members of her family arrived at Manchester Airport in October last year having paid almost £7,000 for a trip to Turkey, only to find that travel agent Ellen Harrison, right, hadn't made their booking She had tried to put the Kays off travelling the day before by telling them that the hotel had cancelled the booking and that there was trouble in Turkey, but her text messages didn't arrive until the party had reached the airport. When confronted by the family, Harrison then tried to blame Flightline for losing the booking in October last year. The family then spent a further £8,700 at the airport to rearrange their holiday. Harrison, who pleaded guilty to a single count of fraud, was given a suspended prison sentence and sentenced to 150 hours community service at Hull Crown Court. The court heard that Mrs Kay had booked holidays through the Turkish Riviera Travel agency before without any problems. But the company had run into financial trouble and while Harrison hoped funds would come in to pay for the Kays holiday, she had spent the money covering other party's trips. Spared jail: Harrison's travel agency had run into financial difficulties and she had spent the Kay's money covering other party's trips Although Mrs Kay, her three children and their partners, and two grandchildren, were given flight tickets and an accommodation voucher by Harrison. The court heard that Harrison text the family with a guilty conscience the day before they were due to travel, claiming that a bomb had gone off in Turkey and that a terror alert made it unsafe to travel. Harrison, whose brochures boasted that the firm provided ' exceptional levels of customer enjoying clients to enjoy a stress-free holiday in Turkey', also claimed that the hotel had cancelled the flights. After re-booking a holiday to a separate hotel with Thomas Cook at the airport, the family travelled to Turkey using some of Mrs Kay's life savings. When they returned, they confronted Harrison who blamed the Flightline booking service and promised the family a full refund. But her cheque bounced and the family only received £720 before Harrison's business collapsed. Defence barrister Stephen Robinson said: 'She was having financial difficulties in 2012 and she didn't book the holiday. She thought she may be able to pay for it in the future. She admits she strung them along and caused them unnecessary distress by them arriving at the airport. 'She knew the Kays, and didn't pick them out, it was just they had booked a long way in advance. She is now working as an NHS cook and is hoping to pay some money back. Recorder Anthony Hawks told Harrison: 'This was a mean and unpleasant offence. The fact is this family, including two children turned up at the airport only to find out they were not going. Desired destination: The family had been due to stay at the four-star Titanic Beach Lara Hotel in Turkey 'It must be every holidaymaker's worst nightmare. You should be ashamed of yourself. Even the day before you were telling them a bomb had gone off and there was some terror alert. You have brought disgrace on yourself and lost your business. I have thought about sending you to prison. I cannot see how sending you to prison for a short time would be of any assistance to anyone, particularly the Kays. He ordered she should be given an eight-month suspended prison sentence, complete 150 hours unpaid work and pay £1,000 compensation to the Kays. Duped: The family only realised that their tickets were forgeries when they arrived at Manchester Airport, pictured, with their tickets He added: 'I would like to be able to order you to repay all the money to the Kay family. I cannot do that because you don't have the money to do so.' Mrs Kay, 67, a care worker from Hull said after the sentencing: 'Ellen Harrison ruined my holiday and has not expressed any remorse. She is a woman I knew and she betrayed me. She thinks she has got away with it. I want her naming and shaming. I also don't think I will see the money again. She is supposed to pay me £40 a month, but she will find a way out of that. You cannot imagine the feeling we had when we arrived at Manchester Airport to find our tickets were forgeries. Suspended sentence: A Judge at Hull Crown Court, pictured, decided not to send Harrison to jail The airport staff said that it had never happened before in their memory. I could not talk. She literally text us as we walked into the departure hall. The text said: "It's cancelled. She you tonight. It was so cruel. It was not the money, it is what she did to me and my family. It was to be our first holiday away together and I had sold my house to pay for it. It took some thinking, but I decided there was no way we were not going on holiday. It cost me £8,000 from my life savings, but I did not want to let the children down. 'We booked a holiday with Thomas Cook, but I didn't enjoy it. The kids said they did, but I think they are just saying that. Her daughter Debbie Kay, 45, said: 'Can you imagine being stood with nine adults and two babies and then finding out your holiday has not been booked? It was totally devastating for all of us.