Retired Harborough couple have been flown home a week early from their holiday in Portugal

A retired Market Harborough couple on holiday in Portugal have been flown home a week early as the coronavirus sweeps Europe.

Peter Pollak, 74, and his wife Fran, 70, were in the middle of a two-week sunshine break to the Algarve when they were suddenly whisked back to the UK.

And the two keen ramblers are relieved to be back in their own backyard as thousands of British nationals are still feared to be stranded overseas.

Peter, of Limner Street, Farndon Fields, told the Harborough Mail: “We were very much looking forward to the holiday although my wife had a few more doubts than I did.

“It was a real shame to cut it short halfway through in some ways.

“But the coronavirus outbreak is becoming more serious all the time and we’re both just happy now to be back home in Harborough.”

The retired insurance surveyor said they jetted out from Birmingham Airport to Faro on Saturday March 14 along with hundreds of other Brits.

“We booked the getaway with Mercury Holidays nine months ago and it was costing us about £1,400.

“We’ve been venturing out to Portugal for 13-14 years and really like it,” said Peter.

“We were staying all-inclusive at a four-star hotel called the Real Bellavista and loved it.

“But we quickly realised that the coronavirus crisis was getting worse across much of Europe and it might well hit us too.

“Then on Wednesday March 18 we were suddenly given just an hour’s notice to pack our bags and move into the nearby Grande Real hotel.

“Our hotel was being shut on the spot because there were not enough tourists staying there.

“That was a bit strange.

“And the food was fabulous at both hotels to start with before rapidly deteriorating and becoming very basic – as if they didn’t want us there any longer.”

Peter and Fran, who have four children and four grandchildren between them, were stunned to get a bombshell text from major airline Jet2 cancelling their flights home.

“We were due to return home on Saturday March 28 but received this message telling us to make our own way home.

“It was very worrying - we couldn’t believe it,” said Peter, a lifelong conservationist and champion of the Great Outdoors.

“But Jet2 then performed a total U-turn.

“They sent us another message on Friday March 20 saying we’d be flown back the next day.

“We were warned to stay in our rooms before taking off at 6.15pm on the Saturday.

“We weren’t given a choice but by then, of course, we were just massively relieved to be up in the air heading home.”

The active pensioner said he’s now hoping to be refunded by Mercury Holidays after their warm weather break was cut in two.

“But to be honest the only thing that really matters to us is getting home in one piece.

“Our family were naturally very worried about us as this horrible virus spreads,” said Peter.

“British families were still flying in to Portugal during our week out there, which seemed very reckless.

“Bars, cafes and restaurants were starting to shut down so the Algarve was beginning to be locked down as well.

“We are keeping our two-metre social distance here, enjoying our brilliant spring sunshine and delighted to be back in good old Harborough.”