TEARS of relief and joy were shed by a family as they returned to their home in Bury after spending nearly a month locked in a detention centre, facing deportation.

Mr Andrew Jankowiak (46), his wife Elizabeth (40) and 16-year-old son Jack arrived at back in Goldfinch Drive after immigration officials allowed them to walk free from the Harmondsworth Detention Centre, near to Heathrow Airport.

The family enjoyed an emotional reunion with their eldest son Patrick (19) who had gone into hiding in Bury after escaping immigration officials.

Speaking just a day after arriving with her family, Mrs Jankowiak said: "I am so happy; I can't believe it. The last three weeks have been so terrible. Nobody told us anything.

"We were just informed that we were going back to Bury. We were so relieved and happy we cried.

"We would have been in danger if we had been sent back to Poland. Thank you to everyone who has helped us to come back to Bury -- our home."

The Bury Times recently reported how the family were just days away from being sent back to Poland when campaigners, led by two of Jack's best friends -- schoolpals Christian Bridge and Grant Chadwick -- made a last-ditch attempt to stop deportation proceedings.

Mr Jankowiak told how he was forced to flee Poland with his family in 2001 after threats from the Polish mafia. With the help of the local authority Mrs and Mrs Jankowiak had happily settled in Bury.

Supporter Tracy O'Riordan, the aunt of Christian Bridge, said: "We were all so happy to find out that they family could return to Bury. Jack rang Christian on his way back from London to tell him the good news. He was absolutely over the moon and just glad to be getting back with his friends at school."

Jack had been accepted at Broad Oak High School, where he was studying for his GCSEs, and his brother Patrick was looking forward to starting college in September. Their father was running a successful painting and decorating business and Mrs Jankowiak had enrolled on a course to learn English with a view to getting a job.

But their lives were turned upside down when immigration and police officers turned up unexpectedly at their house in March. Jack and his parents were taken to a deportation centre in London. Patrick, who was at a friend's house at the time, managed to escape and went in to hiding.

A huge campaign was mounted by friends Christian and Grant who attend Jack's school. A petition to let the family stay was signed by more than 200 people. And Mr David Chaytor MP also supported Broad Oak headteacher Mr Andrew MacKenzie's plea to allow Jack to finish his education.

Mrs Jankowiak said: "We have been given a two-month stay to allow Jack to finish his education. But we will be fighting to stay in the country. My sons have been given a future here which they will not have in Poland, where we are in very real danger."

She added: "We had a good life in Poland. But that was taken away from us. Now we have a chance to start over again."