British Airways could be facing a compensation payout of up to £90,000 following a pungent smell that forced one of its flights to return to Heathrow Airport . The BA flight to Dubai returned to London due to a foul odour emanating from an overflowing toilet , and three passengers have since filed claims for compensation due to the travel disruption . They argue they are entitled to hundreds of pounds each after cabin crew were unable to fix the problem and the flight turned around near Brussels . A British Airways captain told passengers the smell was from 'liquid faecal excrement ' in a toilet . Passengers were initially told that they would board another flight in three hours , but it turned into a 15-hour delay . Three passengers have contacted Claim4Flights.com to seek up to €600 each ( £450 ) in compensation , the maximum allowed for a delay of more than four hours when travelling over 2,200 miles as stipulated by EU rules . If all 200 passengers on board the flight were to claim , BA could be forced into paying out up to£90,000 . One claimant is Hertsmere councillor Abhishek Sachdev , who was travelling to Dubai with his pregnant wife and two-year-old daughter . At the time he took to Twitter to explain how a 'smelly poo in the toilet ' had forced the plane to turn back and land at Heathrow . Tory councillor Abhishek Sachdev was travelling with his pregnant wife and their two-year-old daughter . Hertsmere councillor Abhishek Sachdev said passengers were told that crew could not fix the problem . Speaking to MailOnline Travel Mr Sachdev , a Tory councillor , said : 'We had booked a night flight to allow my two-and-and-half-year-old daughter to sleep . 'Initially we were told that the delay would be three hours until another flight . When we landed , the pilot said it would be a 15-hour delay , until 1pm the next day . A smell emanating from the toilet on a BA flight forced the plane to turn back ( file photo ) 'This meant we lost a whole day of our holiday , and that we also had the stress of travelling on a daytime flight with our toddler daughter . ' Mr Sachdev decided to lodge a claim with Claim4Flights.com after being unimpressed with how BA officials dealt with the situation . 'At the baggage collection area , we were told by some BA staff to queue for information . After 15 minutes in that queue , we were then told there was no need to do so , and were given a leaflet , ' he added . 'This leaflet simply said BA apologised for the technical fault , even though the pilot was clear that there was no technical fault . 'We then had to wait 25 minutes to get our accommodation and food voucher . About five or six staff were trying to print these for us but could n't because of system problems they said . 'This was now midnight and we had pleaded with them to hurry up but it still took a long time to resolve . Then we got to the hotel , and had to wait another 25 minutes to check in . ' A British Airways spokesperson told MailOnline Travel at the time that they were 'sorry for the discomfort ' of the passengers . David Williams , director for Claim4Flights.com told MailOnline Travel : 'We are exploring the circumstances against the Regulation 261/2004 set by the European Parliament which dictates when passengers are entitled to claim compensation for delayed or cancelled flights . 'If the circumstances are such that the delay to the flight was within the control of British Airways then each passenger on the flight could be entitled up to €600 compensation , assuming there were 200 passengers on the flight then this could cost British Airways €120,000 in compensation . ' British Airways have told MailOnline Travel that they 'will assess any claims and respond accordingly ' .
About five or six passengers have launched compensation claims after 15-hour delay . Under EU rules on flight delays , they could be set for €600 ( £450 ) each . Captain informed passengers the smell was from 'liquid faecal excrement ' Plane returned to London about 30 to 40 minutes after take-off .