Fans plan to travel to Italy after being denied refund

England supporters last night faced being left hundreds of pounds out of pocket after the coronavirus outbreak forced the postponement of the Six Nations match against Italy.

Supporters who had booked trips to Rome for tomorrow week’s aborted fixture told The Daily Telegraph they were being denied refunds for flights, and in some cases accommodation and tickets, despite the unprecedented crisis to have engulfed the tournament.

The Government was urged to intervene by imposing a travel ban on the whole of Italy, something that could mean all those affected by the postponement being reimbursed in full. It was warned that failure to do so risked thousands of fans choosing to visit Europe’s most-infected country if the alternative meant simply throwing away money spent on flights and accommodation. Fans who spoke to the The Telegraph had booked flights with easyjet, which was accused of failing to appreciate the magnitude of the issue.

Fiona Napier, 42, from Weymouth, said: “The airline is not being flexible. We feel that it’s not in touch with the actual global situation. There is no option other than either not go and lose your flight money, or go.”

She said she stood to lose up to half the £1,000 she had paid for the trip with her husband.

Ashley Jones, from Bristol, said he would probably still travel after being bought tickets for the game by his wife for his 50th birthday in October and paying £720 for return flights. He added: “It also our 20th wedding anniversary. It’s like a double whammy. I think we’ll just end up going to Rome and having a good time – and hoping that everything’s not closed down.”

England Rugby Travel, the Rugby Football Union’s official travel agent, confirmed it had offered its 1,000-plus customers the option of a full refund or transferring bookings to the rearranged fixture or on to another fixture.

The Telegraph contacted easyjet for comment.