'I flew to Rhodes for a wedding and now I never want to go on holiday again'
A British man who flew to Rhodes for his cousin's wedding has said he never wants to go on holiday again as raging wildfires have plunged the Greek island into chaos.
Tens of thousands of people have abandoned their suitcases and evacuated from the island, plus many more have been left stranded by travel operators unable to cope with the fallout from the natural disaster.
Andrew Brittan and his partner Emily, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, shared a mattress on the street with a Glaswegian couple last night as they were unable to go to their hotel after flying from East Midlands airport.
The rooms inside the centre where around 30 people are crammed in per room (Andrew Brittan)
Andrew's pictures of the wildfires as seen from the plane last night (Andrew Brittan)"We had about 20 minutes sleep and I am covered in bites as the bed was covered in ants", the 27-year-old told the Mirror with the sound of wailing children in the background heard over the phone.
Andrew said he was unaware of what was unfolding in Greece until the flight was delayed, but despite the emergency on the island, Andrew was able to board his TUI flight.
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He said there was a slight delay but eventually the pilot announced: "That it was safe enough and that all the hotels are open and fine." But he was really worried once they began the descent and the sky filled with the view of fires.
Once they landed they were taken straight to an evacuation centre because the hotel had been deemed no longer safe.
"We got there in the pitch black and were shown inside. It was 30 people to a room, so we camped outside. There's no aircon inside. We can't even shower or anything, I have not cleaned my teeth and the toilet is just a hole in the floor.
The hole-in-the-floor toilet at the centre (Andrew Brittan)
Inside the centre where hundreds of people are staying (Andrew Brittan)"It's literally like a very rundown outside 1920 school with bars on the windows, there's graffiti everywhere. They're just cramming people in the rooms and there's no outcome in which I feel safe.
"There is nowhere safe to leave our luggage so we have paid £1000 per person to be stuck outside on this mattress eating croissants", Andrew told the Mirror.
A spokesperson for TUI said: "Those customers currently in Rhodes will return on their intended flight home. The safety and well-being of our customers and teams remain our top priority."
Andrew's flight home is scheduled for next Saturday at 11 pm. "We are potentially stuck here with no shower for a week", the warehouse operator said.
Wildfires rage in Rhodes as people attempt to flee (Hannah Gormley)He praised "fantastic local people" for providing croissants, bananas and water and slammed TUI for prioritising "money over people."
Andrew continued: "I don't think I don't think I'm ever gonna go abroad again. This is my first holiday in five years abroad. But now I'm thinking what was the point? I am much better off going for a little caravan holiday in the UK."
Fire Service spokesman Yannis Artopios fears more wildfires could break out and conditions could worsen with temperatures set to reach 45°C on Sunday.
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The fire service on the island said it was the worst crisis the service had ever dealt with and admitted the situation on the ground was "a mess."
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