HURRICANE Ivan threatened to rip apart the plans of hundreds of North-East holidaymakers last night as the 160mph winds swept through the Caribbean and bore down on Florida.

About 2,600 British holidaymakers in Jamaica were airlifted to safety in the Dominican Republic, while 850 UK travellers who chose to stay and weather the storm were directed to emergency centres.

One North-East couple had to hastily rearrange their honeymoon.

Gary and Allison Simon, from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, were due to fly to Miami and the Bahamas tomorrow.

The couple, who were married at Walworth Castle Hotel yesterday, were told that their travel operator, Virgin, had cancelled all its flights to the area.

All was not lost, however, as Virgin offered them an alternative holiday and, thanks to staff at the Callers Pegasus office in Darlington, they are now booked on to a flight to Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Mr Simon, 41, said: "It's a blessing in disguise really because suppose we had gone there and there'd been no electricity or running water, it would have ruined our honeymoon."

Newcastle International Airport said yesterday its flights to and from Florida were currently unaffected by the storm, but warned the situation could change.

Spokeswoman Wendy Dawley said about 375 passengers were due to board a flight to Florida at about 8.15am this morning, while a flight in the opposite direction carrying roughly the same number of people was due back in the early hours.

Ms Dawley said: "At the moment it is business as usual. Our advice is that if passengers are feeling worried about what might happen to their flight then they should contact their travel operator or travel agent."

Ivan is the fourth major hurricane of the Atlantic season and has already wreaked havoc in Grenada where the 160mph winds destroyed the home of Prime Minister Keith Mitchell.

Mr Mitchell was taken on board the Royal Navy ship HMS Richmond - the adopted warship of Richmond, in North Yorkshire - whose crew, together with the crew of British supply ship Wave Ruler, also helped islanders on shore.

Last night, the frigate was sailing west across the Caribbean heading for Jamaica and Grand Cayman to offer further assistance.