A HOLIDAY boss has spoken of the blackest day in his company's history after the fatal hotel fire in Newquay.

David Lord, a director at Robinsons Holidays in Great Harwood confirmed that at least eight people from across East Lancashire were in the Penhallow Hotel when the fire started early on Saturday.

Three people are believed to have died in the blaze but Mr Lord said all the local tourists were safe and well and back at home - and he praised their resiliance following the tragedy.

The Penhallow is owned by Holdsworth Hotels and used regularly by Robinsons Holidays, a family-run tour operator.

Both firms are owned by the same parent company, O&C Holdsworth.

Mr Lord said: "There is no doubt that this is the worst incident that Robinsons has ever been involved with.

"We have done our best to get our customers back home and I have been surprised by the resilience of people in the face of what has been a terrible tragedy."

Robinsons Holidays, based off Harwood Road, Great Harwood, had a total of 86 people at the Newquay hotel when fire broke out at around midnight.

Now most of those have been returned home to locations across the North West, including Lancashire, Merseyside and Yorkshire.

Police said they believed the dead man, who was 43, had fallen from a second-floor window of the hotel. Four other people remain in hospital.

Mr Lord said that he had personally met many of the holidaymakers as they made their way home to towns, including Darwen and Accrington.

He said: "We laid on special transport for our customers and dropped off everyone at their own homes.

"After the fire the people staying at the hotel were initially taken to another hotel and then a nearby sports centre.

"We have now be sorting out alternate arrangements for customers in the coming days and weeks."

Yesterday workers were continuing to try and stabilise the remains of the hotel so it was safe for a detailed search for evidence.

The building has been reduced to a burnt-out shell containing rubble around eight feet deep and debris had been scattered across the surrounding road.

Supt John Green said: "The fire investigators will look for the cause of the fire and the police will look for evidence linked to any cause of death and any bodies that may be in there.

"It is unlikely if there was any one in there they survived a building collapse of that nature."

John McMillan, a director at Holdsworth Hotels which owns the Penhallow, said the company was "shocked and saddened" at what had happened.

He said the health and safety of guests was of "paramount concern" and that he was confident the evacuation of the hotel had gone "to plan".

Mr McMillan said: "A fire marshal was appointed for each floor and I am confident the staff did their job and it worked as well as possible."

Questions have been asked as to why a landing platform, used to access higher floors of the hotel, had to come 50 miles from Plymouth in Devon, as the two in Cornwall were being repaired.

Neighbours living near the hotel told of frantic scenes in which guests and staff jumped out of windows to escape the blaze that took more than 120 firefighters, drafted from a wide area, three hours to contain.

Police said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. They revealed a purse had been stolen from a guest five hours before the blaze but played down any link.