A PENSIONER who spent 48 hours travelling more than 2,000 miles ended up back where she started - at a North-East airport.

Flights between Durham Tees Valley Airport and Jersey were cancelled over the bank holiday weekend because of thick fog on the island.

That left about 500 holiday-makers - many from the North-East and North Yorkshire - stranded for up to 48 hours.

The poor weather also meant Shirley Tadier, 66, was unable return home to Jersey - despite two attempts.

She was due to fly home with bmibaby at 9.55am on Thursday, after visiting her father and sister in Carlisle, Cumbria, but ended up staying at a friend's house in Darlington.

The plane made two attempts to land on Jersey, but the fog proved too thick and it returned to Durham Tees Valley.

The airline provided a hotel, before passengers were picked up at 4.30am on Friday and taken to the airport for a second flight, at 7am. But that flight was then cancelled and the passengers were put on a bus at 10.30am for Birmingham airport.

At 3.30pm, they took off from Birmingham - only to be thwarted again by the fog when they reached Jersey. After refuelling at Bournemouth, the plane flew to Durham Tees Valley.

Passengers were then given the option of booking a new flight scheduled for tomorrow - the earliest available - or compensation, but Mrs Tadier said she was not offered any further hotel accommodation.

She said: "I have got a very good friend in Darlington - without her, I would have been sleeping at the airport all night.

"I know it isn't anyone's fault and Jersey is notorious, but to come back and be handed a sheet of paper saying you can get back - but not until Tuesday and we can't give you any more refreshments or accommodation - goodbye."

Biddy and John Breen, both 70, from Stokesley, North Yorkshire, found themselves stranded on Jersey after a week's holiday.

After their Thursday morning flight was cancelled, the airline organised a ferry and coach back to Durham Tees Valley, eventually arriving back in the region at 10.30am yesterday.

However, bmibaby put them up in a five-star hotel for the two extra nights and gave them refreshment vouchers.

Mr Breen said: "People were pretty sore about it."

Other passengers were angered by being delayed by 24 hours - before being told that once the fog lifted they would be flown to Birmingham and then bussed back to Durham Tees Valley.

Eric Atkinson, 71, of Durham, said: "Do you know what a doormat is? Well that's what bmi have treated us like - a blasted doormat."

A spokeswoman from Durham Tees Valley Airport said: "I think that the airline did everything they could to get from the airport to Jersey. But unfortunately, due to the weather, they were unable to do that."

No one from bmibaby was available for comment yesterday