A MOTHER-of-two from Yate has spoken of the three long days she was stranded in Egypt before a ‘worrying’ flight home laid on by volunteer airline staff.

Tania Bartlett, who was holidaying in Sharm el-Sheikh when a Russian airliner leaving the popular resort for St Petersburgh crashed killing all 224 passengers on board, had met and become friends with some of the victims.

Mrs Bartlett, an IT consultant who was enjoying a week’s break in the winter sun with friend Pippa Tilley to celebrate her 41st birthday, had flown from Gatwick to Egypt on October 29. But just two days into the holiday, news broke that the Russian plane had crashed in Sinai Province. British security service investigators suspect someone with access to the aircraft's baggage compartment inserted an explosive device inside or on top of the luggage just before the plane took off and halted all flights to Egypt.

“We had met a Russian lady and her son in the handbag shop of our hotel,” she said. “Then we heard about a second crash in South Sudan and then the UK government shut down all flights from Egypt.

“I started to worry a bit then.”

The friends were due to fly home on November 5 but were unable to find out any information from booking operator onthebeach.com or their hotel, the Royal Grand.

“It was like the staff had been told not to discuss it and massively play down the crash because they didn’t want hysteria in the hotel,” said Mrs Bartlett.

“We knew it was serious if the UK government was involved but no-one was selling newspapers and the hotel would not give us free wi-fi so we could contact our families.

“Thankfully we had made friends with another family on the same flight as us who had booked through Easyjet directly and they were being sent constant updates. Without that we would have been shafted.”

After shelling out an extra £300 for three more nights at their hotel, the pair were eventually put on a flight to Luton Airport on November 8.

“Sharm el-Sheik airport was like a cattle market,” said Mrs Bartlett. “There was not enough staff, queues everywhere and no food or water being given out. And we walked through security with open bottles of water so any extra measures are just being ignored.

“On our flight the pilot came out and told us he and the crew had been waiting in Cyprus to come and were giving up their time voluntarily.

“The first half an hour was a bit worrying until we had got out of the danger zone and then it was fine. It was probably the safest time to fly and I thought the government wouldn’t let us fly if it wasn’t safe.”

She said the three-day wait in Egypt had caused her family, including daughters Millie, 8, and Summer, 6, frantic concern.

“They were really, really worried,” she said. “It had been the main headline here for days but over there it was played down.

“I had every confidence the government would look after us. There was not a lot we could do but I was glad to get home and my children were quite emotional when I got back.”

Mrs Bartlett is still without her luggage after UK officials said all passengers being repatriated would have to put their suitcases on different plans as an added security measure.

Militants known as Sinai Province and linked to the Islamic State group (IS) say they downed the plane, but have not said how.