East Kent Mercury chief reporter Sue Briggs has returned home after being stranded overseas in the crisis caused by the volcano in Iceland.

Her plane from Australia arrived in Dubai on Friday, April 16, to catch a connecting flight to London, at the end of a holiday with two friends in Perth.

She said: "When we arrived at the airport the information board flashed the gate number for Gatwick, then it suddenly kept changing to cancelled.

"That was the start of a chaotic few hours. There were weary people all over the airport and they soon realised they were stranded.

"We joined one queue for the United Emirates information desk and were told there were no flights as Gatwick had closed. It was suggested we found a hotel and the airline would not pay."

The three friends managed to find a stop-over and the following day took a taxi to the United Emirates head office, to be confronted by more queues of stranded travellers."

"We were advised to check CNN news and keep contact with the airline by phone and website.

"Then it was a waiting game. We met so many other people in the same situation. Everyone was stoic and patient.

"We met couples on their way home from honeymoon and others on holiday like us. We were told we had the Dunkirk spirit!

"Unfortuately many like me were due back at work on Monday, April 19.

Sue arrived home on Wednesday, April 21.