AN Isle of Wight family told of their terror today after a Boeing 747 was halted during take-off in the United Arab Emirates amid fears of a fuel spill.

The Shackleton family were among more than 300 Britons stranded after fuel was spotted spewing over the wing of the jet as it attempted to leave Sharjah International Airport.

The drama happened during a refuelling stop-off on the Phuket Air flight from Bangkok to London's Gatwick Airport yesterday morning.

Jane Shackleton, 68, from Freshwater, who had been returning from a holiday in Phuket with her family, said: "It was terrifying. Everyone was on their feet shouting and screaming for the plane to stop after a man next to the window started yelling that fuel was pouring down from the wing over the engine pod.

"We were all thinking about the Concorde crash a few years ago."

Passengers claimed the jet was forced to abort take-off twice after refuelling in the desert stop-off.

According to one witness, passengers screamed and refused to sit in their seats as they demanded the pilot abandon his attempt to get the plane in the air.