AN EAST Lancashire family caught up in forest fires in a Greek holiday resort have described how they thought they were going to die.

Mark and Carmel Frodsham, of Wycollar Road, Blackburn, had travelled to Hanioti, a village on the peninsula of Halkidiki with their children Mark-Leonard, four, and Rebecca, 12, and Mark's mother Dempsey.

The family were forced to flee a restaurant when forest fires started to encroach on the village, and spent a night seeking refuge on a beach.

After returning home to Blackburn they told how their holiday from hell started on August, 10, the day of the UK airport terror alerts.

"The restaurant owner told us not to worry as fires had happened before, but when we could see the flames just behind the building we thought it was time to leave," said Carmel, 46, a civil servant.

Mark, 41, and the family made their way as quickly as possible to the beach.

"It was like a nuclear holocaust, unlike anything you can imagine. Even when you are there you think it can't be real."

Carmel said thousands of people instinctively flocked to the beach to seek refuge from the flames, all the time while snow-like ash and embers were falling.

"We went to the left because the flames were not that way, but then all of a sudden they were there.

"So we went to the right and in front of us were thousands of people. Prams and suitcases had been abandoned. It was like some sort of nightmare movie."

"There was absolutely no doubt in our minds that we were going to die."

She said they were unable to run quickly as they had the two children and her mother-in-law who suffers with asthma and arthritis.

As there were no authorities on the beach telling people where to go, it had been complete chaos.

Eventually they found a spot without too many trees where they camped out.

"At about midnight, five hours after fleeing the restaurant, when the flames had started to retreat they returned to the Saratis Hotel, where they had been staying to collect sheets and pillows.

"We thought we would wake up and the cloud would have cleared, but it had not," said Carmel. "The beach was strewn with debris and shoes. It was very weird."

Late on Tuesday evening the family were told they were being evacuated, cutting short their two-week holiday.

"We thought thank God'." At about 5.30am Wednesday their flight from Thessaloniki to Manchester took off and they arrived in England at 7.15am.

Carmel added: "I will never go back to Greece again. I am looking forward to going to Devon next year. I am so happy to be home."