HOLIDAYMAKERS from the region caught up at Stansted Airport spoke last night of their determination not to be beaten by the terrorists.Marie Retzdack, 52, from Great Cornard, was booked in on a Ryanair flight to Dublin with her husband, Philip, 56.

By Roddy Ashworth

HOLIDAYMAKERS from the region caught up at Stansted Airport spoke last night of their determination not to be beaten by the terrorists.

Marie Retzdack, 52, from Great Cornard, was booked in on a Ryanair flight to Dublin with her husband, Philip, 56.

The couple were initially due to fly out at 8.10am but ended up booking seats on a plane due to depart late in the afternoon.

She said: “Nobody here has shown the slightest bit of fear. The queues are horrendous and people are fed up with that. Some are in tears because their flight has been cancelled but nobody is willing to let the terrorists win and that's the important thing.”

Pearl and Albert Gable, from Great Totham, near Maldon, were hoping to fly with their disabled relative Dorothy Thompson to Almeria for a break with family.

“The drop off point was closed, so we had quite a time getting up here with her in a wheelchair,” said Mrs Gable.

“We have been monitoring the news channels all day. Our flight hasn't been cancelled yet, so we are optimistic, but it's not showing anywhere to go either.”

Mr Gable, a retired civil servant, said: “We have been dropped off by our daughter, so we are stranded.

“I have got my saxophone with me, and I would not normally put it in the hold. I don't much like the idea of parting company with it.

“However, now it is just a matter of waiting. They have to take these precautions. We would rather this than be blown up.”

Jenny King, 42, of Somersham, near Ipswich, was hoping to jet off to the Greek island of Zakynthos for a two-week holiday with her husband Stuart, 40, and son Thomas, 10.

She said: “My alarm went off at 6.30am and that was the first thing that came on the news. Thankfully, we had time to re-jig the suitcases and put our hand luggage in the suitcases.

“We can understand why the security checks have to be done but, when you've been looking forward to a holiday all year, it's not very nice when something like this happens.”

Also among the thousands of passengers whose flights were cancelled was Lucy Barnard, 24, of Dedham, near Colchester. She and eight members of her family had been due to fly to Majorca for a week.

She said: “The first thing we knew of it was when we got here. They never announced the check-in desk for us so we were waiting around for ages wondering what was going on.

“Eventually they told us our flight was cancelled and wouldn't be leaving today. We have managed to book another flight from Gatwick tomorrow but even then we don't know if that's going to happen.

“I'm not scared of getting on an aeroplane, in a way it makes you feel safer that they are doing this. To be honest I just want to get on a flight and get to Spain.”

Rodney Bullock, 61, and his wife Theresa, 52, from Glemsford, were due to be flying to Barcelona at 7.25am yesterday but endured lengthy delays.

Mr Bullock said: “We were in Aldeburgh last week and I wish we'd stayed there - this makes a 10-minute queue from the Orwell Bridge seem like nothing. If I could get my luggage back now, I'd just go home and chill in my garden”.

Stephanie Hawes, 27, from Rendlesham, and Joanne Mann, 28, of Ipswich, had been due to fly to Alicante for a two-week break.

Miss Hawes said: “We got here at 8.30am and were due to be flying at 10.30am but now we're stuck in a queue. We've been queuing for about an hour but we're not too annoyed yet, you just have to get on with it.”