GROUNDED

But instead 170 would-be travellers found themselves wandering the streets of Bournemouth in the pouring rain.

More than 24 hours after their flight to Larnaca should have taken off, the bedraggled group were still wondering if they were ever going to get away.

A technical hitch was blamed for delaying their Eurocypria flight, which should have taken off from Bournemouth International Airport at 10.10am on Sunday. Instead, they spent Monday doing exactly what they had tried to avoid - looking for something to do in a soggy British seaside resort.

Garry Taylor from Southampton told the Daily Echo how he and his partner Karen Green from Poole had eventually been put up in Bournemouth's Ramada Encore Hotel.

"People were taken to different hotels. It is bad enough for us but I feel really sorry for families with young children."

Karen said: "I've travelled all over the world, but thankfully never experienced anything like this before."

Romance was the last thing on honeymooners Diane and Kevin Morgan's minds as they waited for a coach to pick them up to take them back to the airport.

Kevin, 42, said: "We were very lucky with the weather when we got married on Saturday; unfortunately our honeymoon hasn't gone according to plan.

"By the time we get to Cyprus we will have only five days of our holiday left."

Diane, 40, said: "We're being picked up by coach at 5.30 tonight and then have to wait for more than five hours before our flight. Apparently it's so the check-in staff can go home on time."

For John Argyrou from London, the long flight delay meant his god-daughter's christening service in Paphos on Sunday had to be postponed.

"Her parents are now trying to rearrange the service for next Sunday. I tried to get another flight, but there was nothing else available."

Rob and Sally Watkins were stranded in Bournemouth with their three children.

"My sister has flown out to Cyprus from Manchester but by the time we get there we'll only have one day left to spend together," said Rob.

Kim Chisman from Southampton said: "It's cost us a fortune. We've taken the children to the cinema and to play in the amusements.

"The weather has been so bad we've had to go out and buy shoes and jackets."

For six former Bournemouth School pupils, their week-long break in Ayia Napa, before going their separate ways to university, will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Elliott Lees-Bell said: "We could have gone home but all our bags were packed and that would have been so depressing."

A spokesman for Bournemouth airport said airline staff had done all they could and added: "Eurocypria have had technical difficulties. Passengers were offered the opportunity to go into a hotel or go home and come back the following day - accommodation and meals were paid for."

The flight to Larnaca was finally due to leave Bournemouth airport at 11.10 on Monday night.