EAST Lancashire-based holiday company MyTravel was today sending a passenger jet to the Maldives to bring back travellers caught up in the tidal wave tragedy.

And the firm, which employs 300 staff in Helmshore and Accrington, is telling other customers that they may not get their festive holidays in the sun after the Home Office told them to cancel flights to the parts of Asia hit by the deadly tsunami.

The company, created by Burnley businessman David Crossland in 1972, brought back 103 passengers to Manchester yesterday.

They were on a rescue flight to escape the devastation left by the Boxing Day floods which swept across the coastlines of south-east Asia.

The firm provided clothing, free taxis home and counselling for the many who returned with nothing.

Some passengers left the flight with only the clothes on their backs.

There were tears of joy for the families who were reunited with loved ones.

A separate Manchester flight which had been due to leave for Male, in the Maldives, was cancelled on Sunday - shattering dreams of a sunny start to 2005.

The holiday firm offered transfers to other destinations, although some passengers faced staying home for New Year as not enough places were available.

MyTravel spokeswoman Lesley Peters said: "At this time of year lots of people want to go away to celebrate New Year in another country so not all of the 250 passengers whose tickets were cancelled will be able to go away."

The firm was today planning to send a Boeing 757 out to the region to pick up remaining customers, who they believe have now all been accounted for.

Mrs Peters said the disaster had not put future customers off going out to the Maldives or other affected areas, although no flights would be leaving in the immediate future until safe travel clearance is issued by the Home Office.

MyTravel also refunded parts of the money spent by those passengers who flew back early yesterday.

She added: "What I am concerned about is those people who did not come with a tour operator and will not have the connections with us or other companies to ensure they can find a way home."