A teenager was 48 hours from death after suffering deep vein thrombosis on a flight of just two hours and 40 minutes.

David Turner is planning to sue Britannia Airways over the cramped conditions he had to endure.

Mr Turner, a professional club singer, stage name Junior is suing the airline after his trip to Spain ended in disaster. He says that he now suffers shortness of breath, must wear surgical stockings for the rest of his life, and is unable to lead the active life he once enjoyed.

His condition was so severe, medical staff at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital feared he only had days to live.

Mr Turner was told he was lucky to be alive after the DVT reached his leg, groin, spine and his left lung.

He said: "It is frightening because I should be dead now. Something must be done. It's not something you expect from a trip to Benidorm."

Mr Turner flew to Spain last March to take up a singing contract he had been offered in a nightclub.

But on his arrival he began to feel unwell, suffering from a severe cough, which he thought was bronchitis.

He returned a month later and began to feel unwell almost immediately.

But his disease wasn't detected for a full three months when he collapsed in a busy shopping centre and was rushed into hospital.

By that time the DVT had spread throughout his body.

Mr Turner, of Wallsend, Tyneside, finally recovered just before Christmas but he faces a lifetime on drugs. Now he has enlisted the help of a London lawyer with a view to taking British Airways to court.

A spokesman for Britannia Airways said: "We have had no contact from David Turner but if in future we do, it will be referred to our insurance team who deal with this type of claim."