French Army St. Martin caribbean
French soldier secure the island
British holidaymakers say that they have been abandoned starving on a hurricane-hit island as evacuation planes leave half empty because they have no permission to take "refugees" from the UK.

Anger is growing over the "disgraceful" Government response to the disaster as families of those on one of the worst hit islands say there has been no information and no help despite the growing lawlessness and the fact they are running out of their last scraps of food and water.

Ross and Lesley McEwan, both in their early 60s, have been queuing up at the airport in the baking sunshine every day as instructed by the authorities on St Maarten, but after 14 hours they are told that "nobody wants to take us".

The couple, from Cambourne in Cambridgeshire, had been on holiday on the Dutch part of island, the northern half of which is the French territory St Martin.

Kirsty Shephard, their daughter, said: "There is no electricity, no running water, no toilets and very limited food and water. They were told initially there was enough for three days and now we are on day five.

"They are just trying to get off the island and queue at the airport, where there is very little shelter, from 5.30am till 8pm."

Commercial flights have been unable to land but there was a glimmer of hope on Sunday when they are told that there would be space for them on a French evacuation flight.

However, Ms Shephard received a message from her mother telling her: "French flew with three quarter empty plane because they couldn't get permission for 'refugees'. Back to resort."

Mrs McEwan revealed that a riot had broken out at the airport as tempers frayed.

Ms Shephard said: "They keep being told that the UK Foreign Office has not made contact with anyone on the island and so there is no plan to evacuate British people. The French plane said that they did not have permission to take British citizens."

The Dutch, French, American and Canadian citizens have been evacuated, those on the ground say, but there are around 100 Europeans - made up of about 20 British people as well as German and Italian citizens - who are stranded.

The island has been hit by looting and violence and some resorts have said that they can no longer hold back the robbers and so will have to close their doors.