British families who escaped Dubai floods endure 'absolute nightmare' journey ... trends now

Families who have escaped flood-hit Dubai have revealed the 'absolute nightmare' journey they faced in a bid to get back to Britain.

Planes carrying people from the city arrived at Heathrow Airport this morning, with those on board telling of chaotic scenes in Emirate and their panicked attempts to find a way home.

One couple claimed such was the intensity of the rain brought on by the once-in-a-generation storm, that cabin crew on their flight had to use duct tape to stop the emergency exits from leaking.

They added that dozens of people had been kicked off their plane in 'appalling conditions', with stewards telling passengers that some would have to leave to help balance the aircraft before take-off.

Other passengers who made the journey home revealed the treacherous conditions on the ground in Dubai, with one man revealing his grandmother was trapped in a vehicle in floodwaters for hours before being rescued.

It comes after Britons who are in Dubai opened up about their nightmarish experiences in the city after a storm dumped more than a year's worth of rain in the space of a matter of hours.

One father told MailOnline how his family were forced to sleep on the floor in a shopping mall after being trapped overnight by rising waters, while one woman said it felt like being in the 'apocalypse'.

Were caught in the storm in Dubai? Email [email protected] 

Dubai International Airport, which is one of the busiest in the world, has seen dozens of flights cancelled and delayed today as it recovers from the storm which covered its runway in water so deep that planes struggled to land and take-off. 

Those who managed to get on early morning flights which departed for Heathrow this morning breathed a sigh of relief as they touched down in London hours later.

Sue and Steve, from Chalfont St Peter's, arrived on Emirates flight EK7 which was delayed for almost five hours due to the weather conditions.

They were due to leave Dubai on Tuesday night but were told they had to get off their original flight.

Sue told MailOnline: 'It was an absolute nightmare. We were on the first flight when they said 45 passengers had to get off.

'The conditions were appalling. They had duct taped one of the emergency exits. They had difficulty closing it.

'They told us we had to get off the flight so they could 'balance the load' because of the weather conditions.

'They also told a family to get off because a child was sick.'

Steve said they were taken back to the lounge and told to wait, but were 'kept in the dark as nobody was telling us anything'.

He said it was only by chance that they found out they were on the next flight out, forcing them into a mad rush to get to the gate in time. 

The couple were returning to the UK from Melbourne, Australia.

Steve added: 'The stairs were covered in water and it was pooling everywhere.

'I think only 17 or the 45 taken off our first flight made the second one. If we didn't ask someone we would have been stuck also.'

Kamal El Sherif, 22, who lives in Dubai and arrived in London for a holiday, said his grandmother had a lucky escape after being trapped by the rising floodwaters.

He told MailOnline: 'I've never seen anything like this. It was a mess.

'My grandma was stuck in a car in the floods for five hours before she was rescued. She is okay now.

'They said it was the worst storms in Dubai for 40 years. It was really dark when it should have been bright.'

Yvonne Newbery, 71, from Queensland, Australia, said: 'We are the lucky ones. Some people couldn't get on the plane and were sent to a hotel.

'It's not Emirates' fault because the weather is out of their hands. I had no concerns because the airline e knows what they are doing.

'I was delayed for about five hours and now I will enjoy my holiday.'

Holly Piper, 42, from Guilford, Surrey was in Phuket, Thailand with her family before flying into Dubai.

'We didn't have any wet weather clothes with us as we didn't think we would need it

'When we arrived in Dubai we knew nothing about the storms. It was only when someone from the UK messaged us to ask if we were "okay" that we found out there was a problem.

'Inside the airport is a bit like a bubble. I was asleep when we arrived in Dubai. We circled for about two hours but I didn't realise it at the time.

'The airline could have told us about the weather as it's not their fault. It could have made things easier for themselves.

'When we were taking off to fly to Heathrow, the runway looked like a lake.

'A few passengers thought the flight would be cancelled but we arrived home safe.'

Those who are still in Dubai have vented their frustration at the situation at the airport, with dozens of delays and cancellations keeping people from their destination.

Sebastian Bartlett told MailOnline the situation was a 'nightmare' and people are 'passing out' while waiting to find out if they can get home.

Mr Bartlett, who is travelling back from Vietnam via Dubai, said: 'Luckily I have another couple of days off work but a lot of others here are not so lucky.'

He said that while people were trying to stay positive, there was anger about the lack of communication with flights being pushed back 'every 20 minutes or so'. 

'A few [passengers] have passed out in the queue and has taken medics over 10/15mins to respond, other passengers have had to resort to fanning the fainted,' he said.

Earlier one British family revealed they had been forced to sleep on the floor of a shopping mall in Dubai overnight as after being caught in the flooding chaos.

Jonathan Rodgers, who is in the city with his wife and 10-year-old daughter, told MailOnline they were stranded overnight in the Mall of the Emirates overnight as rising waters made it impossible to leave.

The family-of-three, along with dozens of others, became trapped when the roads around the building were flooded and all Dubai Metro services were cancelled due to the conditions.

He said they had been left on their own with 'no information' for hours on end with 'customers and staff all stranded together'.

To add insult to injury, staff at the mall closed the toilets during the night, he claimed.

And despite the waters receding to an extent, the roads are still impassable as there is 'no way past ambulance and recovery vehicles stranded in the road', he said.

His words were echoed by Abi Cramp, who is stuck in the

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