MEMBERS of Axminster Young Farmers Club were left stranded in France after they were snowed in at an airport.

MEMBERS of Axminster Young Farmers' Club were left stranded in France after they were snowed in at an airport.

Seven members were among over 700 people from the youth organisation, who had their flight home from a skiing trip delayed by more than two days.

The farmers were eventually diverted by bus from Val Thorens to Turin, in Italy, and flew into Gatwick on Monday (January 11).

Axminster Young Farmers' Club secretary Katrina Herrod said: "It was absolute chaos.

"I think we moved to about five different airports in the last 48 hours, and they were just closing - it was a nightmare.

"But it wasn't so bad for us as we were a big group and managed to get through it."

The group travelled out with Thomson and Crystal on January 2 and were due to return on Saturday, January 9.

Young farmer Gemma Millman criticised the lack of communication at the airport, which she said failed to announce the delay over the tannoy.

She added that the group did not incur any extra cost and were put up in a hotel on Saturday.

"People were getting angry and fed up with the situation, when all we wanted to do was to go home," she said.

"The worst part was not knowing what was going on or getting a straight answer."

But she said the group got to know each other better through the ordeal and that she had not been put off travelling.

She said: "It was the first time I'd been on such a trip and I'd definitely go again.