FRUSTRATED passengers were sent on a six-hour flight to nowhere, thanks to the volcanic ash cloud.

Flight TOM 6100 from Exeter to Funchal in Madeira didn't even get close to the island as it tried to dodge the plume that has drifted down from Iceland and is continuing to cause problems in European airspace.

The 160 passengers boarded their Thomson plane at Exeter airport at about 7am yesterday, expecting a quick flight to their holiday destination.

Before take-off they were told by Captain Paul Reid that they could not go to Madeira because of the ash cloud and that they would be taken instead to Las Palmas, in Gran Canaria.

Four people got off the flight but were informed that they would not be compensated.

The flight then took off after a delay and headed for Gran Canaria, but as it got above the Mediterranean between Southern Spain and North Africa, the threat of the ash cloud grew.

Flight TOM 6100 performed a U-turn and flew to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain.

There the plane landed, with the crew expecting to head to Madeira, but the ash cloud grew in strength — so the aircraft refuelled and returned to Exeter.

Passengers Brian Overington, 73, and his wife Freda, 74, from Kingskerswell, had planned a two-week trip to Madeira.

Mr Overington told the Echo: "We had a delay to start with of about 30 to 45 minutes.

"When we got in the plane we were then told we would be flying to Las Palmas and once there could go on to Madeira in a few days.

"We would be looked after there, put in hotels, fed and watered," he said.

"On the way down, we got between Southern Spain and North Africa when the captain said he had just been told from headquarters at Luton that there was a change of plan and we were going back to Santiago de Compostela.

"We stopped there for two hours and were told the ash cloud was moving up, out of the way, and we were due to head on to Madeira.

"Then we got another message from the captain saying we were flying home, back to Exeter," said Mr Overington.

"The plane refuelled and then came back.

"We had breakfast, dinner and a glass of wine.

"The staff were very good."

He said they were not aware that ash was a problem in that area of Europe.

"I went on the internet to check that Exeter airport was running, but didn't think about our destination," he said.

"We didn't think it was anywhere near as far down as there. We were really shocked."

Fellow-passengers Christopher and Susan Manser, both 65 and from Teignmouth, said they were disappointed.

"It's been a bit of a mess, really," they said.

"We don't think we should have taken off in the first place. We had no set destination. They hoped to get somewhere and just took off.

"Seven hours later and we're back where we started.

"We were given the option to get off but then we would get no compensation.

"We were going for a week at a cost of about £700."

Edward Dench, 75, and his partner Jackie Hardwell, 63, from Dorset, left their home in the early hours of the morning and said: "The passengers have been treated a bit shabbily.

"We've been flying all day and our destination has been changing through the day.

"We've had no answers to our questions. Do we get a refund, or compensation or both?

"We're feeling shattered."

Sheila Smith, 53, from Somerset, who was travelling with her friend Teresa Simmonds, said she also thought the plane should not have taken off knowing that the flight could not get to Madeira.

"We had no food; only people who booked food got it," she said.

Stephen Ayres, a spokesman for Exeter International Airport, said: "It's most unfortunate that our passengers have had a disruptive morning and did not get to their destination.

"Most who returned to Exeter this afternoon were in good humour and accepting that the situation was out of the hands of the airport and airline.

"They were very appreciative of the way they were kept informed by the captain and the aircrew," he said.

Some passengers who lived locally said they were going home and would await contact from the airport.

Around 80 rooms were made available at the Southgate Hotel to passengers who had travelled to Exeter airport from further afield.

The ash plume it created led to the unprecedented shutdown of UK airspace for several days last month, costing the airline industry billions.

It is continuing to erupt and the ash cloud caused disruption in Ireland last week, and now in south western Europe.

Official advice remains that before travelling, passengers should check with their airline that flights are operating.