A couple have told how their week-long second honeymoon turned into a ten day nightmare that will take them months to recover from.

And Elizabeth and Jason Smith are seeking legal advice after they claim they were "virtually abandoned" to shelter in a school as Hurricane Wilma ripped through their luxury four-star hotel in the Mexican resort of Cancun.

The pair, of Kipling Drive, Marton, had barely had time to unpack their cases on the £1,500 trip to the Yucatan Peninsula before they were evacuated ahead of 115 mile winds.

They said they were then forced to lie low in a shelter with up to 400 strangers for more than five days as desperate relatives looking after their two-year-old son, Joshua, back home on the Fylde coast faced an agonising wait not knowing if they were safe.

But as well as the storm they said they had to put up with gangs of armed looters with little help from their holiday reps.

"We'd literally not had time to unpack before being evacuated," explained Elizabeth, 26.

"At this stage the hurricane was battering the entire beach and we could hardly recognise our own hotel let alone the restaurants, shops and bars that had lined it the day before.

"It was the most frightening experience of my life because there didn't seem to be much co-ordination on the part of the reps. Many of them were crying and freaking out.

"The Mexicans were kind and helpful to us in the shelter.

"They were such a stark contrast to our reps and they never once complained at having to look after us."

Before long, sickness had begun to affect those living in the shelter and - with only a small supply of medicine being delivered from the Red Cross - Jason, 30, and a group of British and US tourists decided to brave confusion outside and go in search of supplies.

Elizabeth said: "There were shots ringing out as looters raided nearby shops, hotels and houses.

"Eventually it got to the stage where flood water had seeped into the building and saturated our makeshift beds on the floor. People were starting to suffer from terrible sickness and, with a limited supply of toilets, this got to be a real problem.

Finally days after they should have returned home the couple were driven to Cancun International Airport where they had to spend 14 hours outside on rubber mats waiting for a flight.

Since returning home both Jason and Elizabeth say they have had nightmares and continuing stomach upsets.

The couple are seeking legal advice after Thomas Cook offered to reimburse them only for the portion of their holiday spent inside the shelter.

"Jason and I know that this was a natural disaster and that we are lucky we're not among the people who lost their lives," explained Elizabeth.

"But we feel Thomas Cook failed in their duty of care to us during an extremely traumatic and life-threatening experience.

Thomas Cook said they worked with the Federation of Tour Operators.

"During the diffuclt time of a natural disaster reps in resort and a full support team co-ordinating efforts in the UK were all focused on its customers' welfare and safety.

"Thomas Cook regrets that Mr and Mrs Smith experienced periods of discomfort and inconvenience during the difficult circumstances that Hurricane Wilma presented.