A travel agent which forged flight tickets and ruined a family's dream Caribbean holiday has been fined. 

Waltham Forest council’s Trading Standards team prosecuted Flexi Holidays Ltd after a woman from the borough reported her treatment by the Shoreditch-based firm. 

In March 2014 the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, spent £9,000 on a holiday to Jamaica with Virgin Atlantic Airlines. 

The woman booked the trip over the phone with Flexi Holidays, which promotes itself as "turning dream holidays into reality", but the company failed to transfer the money and confirm the booking with Virgin Atlantic. 

On a number of occasions, they told the woman that the flights had been booked and the tickets would follow in due course. 

The firm even issued a fake electronic flight ticket using an old Virgin Atlantic Airways logo in an attempt to trick the customer. 

Flexi Holidays wished the woman “an enjoyable holiday” in a letter accompanying the fake ticket. 

The woman questioned the tickets’ validity and found out her flights had not been booked. 

The case was heard Thames Magistrates’ Court on April 10 but company director, Karla James, failed to show up. 

Flexi Holidays was found guilty on two counts of engaging in an unfair commercial practice and one count under the Trade Marks Act 1994. 

It was ordered to pay a fine of £3,000, costs of £629 and a £120 victim surcharge. 

The woman was able to recoup a large portion of the cash as the trip was paid on a credit card. 

Councillor Clyde Loakes, deputy council leader and cabinet member for environment, said: “This company got exactly what it deserved and I commend our Trading Standards Service for seeing this matter through on behalf of the resident. 

“At a time when this council is doing everything it can to help small businesses create employment and opportunities in the borough, it is all the more important to ensure rogue traders like this are held to account. 

“Let this be a warning to any business looking to rip off the residents of Waltham Forest, we will not hesitate to put you in court to face the consequences of your actions.”