DOZENS of East Lancashire families have started their holidays without luggage after a new £16million baggage handling system at Manchester Airport failed to work.

Today holiday firm MyTravel -- formerly Airtours -- which has bases in Helmshore and Accrington, said it was working round the clock to get suitcases out to the correct destinations, but admitted it did not know how long it would take.

That has left many holidaymakers with no choice but to buy new clothes and other holiday essentials before attempting to claim compensation.

The trouble started on Sunday when the equipment which normally weighs luggage at the checking-in desk, and the conveyor belts which take bags through security checks suffered problems. The majority of tour operators were affected, and had to ask customers to place identification tags on their luggage and leave them in front of the check-in desks before going to their flights.

This, said holidaymakers, caused confusion and a delay in getting luggage into the aeroplanes, meaning many took off with little or no luggage on board.

Lancashire County Council's head of corporate communications, Lindsay MacFarlane, travelled with MyTravel from Manchester to Cyprus with her husband John and her seven-year-old daughter. Speaking from the island, she said: "When we arrived at Larnaca, there must have been at least 50 families without any luggage and we were told it was the same problem all over. We only just caught the flight in the first place

"We have no idea when we will get our luggage back. "

A spokesman for MyTravel stressed the firm was doing all it could to track down the luggage, much of which is still in Manchester. She added that the firm was not responsible for the problems, and said the luggage would be sent out as soon as possible, with tour reps keeping holidaymakers informed.

A spokesman at Manchester Airport said: "The highly-sophisticated baggage handling system is approaching the end of a £16million upgrading programme. The work is due to be completed soon but, regretfully, there have been some glitches during these final stages.

"We're sorry some passengers have been inconvenienced by this. However, new procedures have been put in place to ensure the highest standard of operation."