Weeks of of anxiety ended in a tearful reunion when businessman Roger Sharma welcomed his wife Rita safely home from India after she was trapped by the lockdown.

Mr Sharma, 69 and his wife live in Bangors Road, Iver.

They have many relatives in the Punjab and Mrs Sharma went over for a visit to see them and shop for clothes for her daughter's forthcoming wedding. She was due to return March - but as the Government brought in a draconian lockdown getting to the airport in Delhi proved impossible.

The couple's son Neil said: "She could not get anyone to drive her to the airport. There were wild videos circulating and much talk of the police's bullish attitude to people travelling anywhere.

"She missed the flight and soon all flights were grounded anyway."

It was a time of great anxiety. But Neil has nothing but praise for British Embassy staff over there who he says were constantly patient and helpful in their response to his mother's anxious inquiries.

In the end the Government brought back 30,000 UK travellers in specially chartered flights, 14,000 from India - and Mrs Sharma arrived home more than two months after leaving.

Neil and his wife and three children had looked after Mr Sharma at their home in High Wycombe during his anxious wait.

Neil said: "My dad is probably the most unromantic man on the planet, however he insisted on buying flowers on the way to the airport and you could see him welling up as we saw her coming out of arrivals.

"My mum and dad have been married for over 50 years, so it's been really tough on them being apart for so long. We want to thank the Foreign Office for all they've done to bring mum home, which has meant the world to all of us and has allowed us to be together as a family during these hard times."

Mr Sharma and Neil run the family company Mac Precision Engineering in Southall.