A HOLIDAY nightmare ended in luxury for two Darwen pals as they were flown home from hurricane-hit Mexico on a private jet.

Andrew Cook, 29, and Wayne Rafferty, 21, were evacuated from their hotel in Cancun just one day into their two-week holiday when Hurricane Wilma caused havoc across the resort.

They were among 300 tourists who had to pack into a ten-room motel for five days and they were then told a flight they were due to take to the Domincan Republic had been cancelled.

But as the pair, who both live in Avondale Road, began to give up hope of getting back home, their luck turned, thanks to the Dallas Mavericks basketball team and the Foreign Office.

Andrew, who works in the deliveries department of Debenhams in Blackburn, said: "It was amazing. We were being turned away from Cancun airport because we didn't have a boarding card and we were told our flight had been cancelled.

"As we walked away to try to get a plan together we were stood next to a bloke in an RAF uniform who asked us if we were British.

"One of the Foreign Office guys who was with him made a couple of phone calls and they said there was a flight going to Dallas which had some spaces on it.

"My first thought was that it was some sort of forces transport. We knew it would be a small plane but we couldn't believe it when we got on.

"It was apparently owned by the bloke who owns the Dallas Mavericks basketball team and had also been used by the Chelsea football team when they were on tour in America.

"It had reclining leather seats with lots of space around them because they were made to accommodate 7ft basketball players. Even the toilet had a leather seat! It was excellent."

The pair were told the government had chartered the plane to help any stranded tourists.

They were provided with free food and drinks on the journey, given free accommodation in Dallas and their flight home to Gatwick was arranged for them at a reduced rate, all through the Foreign Office.

Andrew said: "The Foreign Office was great. We didn't want the flight to end and they even had spare clothes for us to wear which was handy.

"I could never got back to Mexico again though.

"I think the whole ordeal has mentally scarred me."