A Highcliffe grandmother who was among passengers stranded on a cruise liner in Madeira has spoken of her frustration at being "held hostage" during a round-the-world trip of a lifetime.

Seasoned traveller Janet Taylor, 64, and her husband Brian were stuck in the Portuguese port of Funchal along with 460 holidaymakers on board the MV Van Gogh because of a legal dispute.

The ship was impounded by the authorities on Tuesday but was last night finally on the move again.

The couple are in the final stages of the 93-day voyage, costing up to £9,000 per person, and due back in Falmouth on Saturday.

Speaking while the Van Gogh was stuck in port, retired interior designer Mrs Taylor said it was "unfair" that they were being "held hostage.

"We are prepared to sit it out, we can go ashore but we aren't going to fly home.

"We've no idea when this dispute is going to end but we're going to stay put."

The boat's owner - Cheltenham-based Van Gogh Cruises, a subsidiary of Dutch-owned Club Cruise - is in dispute with the administrators of the liner's former owners Travelscope.

Van Gogh Cruises sales manager Tim Fleming said the administrators could have waited for the ship to return to Cornwall and then taken legal action.

He added: "We do not want the passengers to be used as pawns. We want to get them home as soon as possible."

The liner set off on January 4 from Cornwall with 460 taking in the Mediterranean, Egypt, the Caribbean, Ecuador, Tahiti, New Zealand, Sydney, Mauritius and Cape Town.

For Mrs Taylor the cruise was "the icing on the cake" after travelling extensively across the globe.

Her daughter Julie Anne, 44, from Christchurch, told the Daily Echo: "I spoke to mum yesterday morning on her mobile phone. Both her and dad are well.

"They are relatively happy but feel it is unfair for them to be held hostage.

"The 200 staff on board are looking after them well but there are fears that food and medical supplies could run out.

"I'm not really anxious about them.

"We travel regularly and are used to things going wrong. They can go ashore and have said they are prepared to sit it out.

"They're no idea when they will be coming home but are determined to stay put.

"Up until this week they have had a fabulous time; dad celebrated his 75th birthday on board and the cruise had lived up to all their expectations.

"There are a number of other local people on board."

ABTA spokeswoman Frances Tuke said: "We don't get involved in commercial disputes; the previous owners were ABTA members but the current owners of the Van Gogh are not.

"We are urging the companies involved to seek a speedy resolution; fortunately passengers were in the final days of a three-month cruise.

"When Travelscope went under people who had booked the cruise were given the option of a refund or going ahead with the cruise; a lot of them decided not to travel.

"Whether passengers will be able to seek compensation will depend on the terms and conditions of contract with the cruise operators."

Passengers on board Van Gogh include actress Shirley Anne Field who appeared in Alfie with Michael Caine.

She said: "They're just trying to hold everyone on board to ransom."