Rhodes fires: Chelmsford expat couple sleep on beach to escape fires

Ms Rendell said ferries were "chock-a-block" with tourists using them to as places to sleep

An expat couple have described bedding down for the night on a beach to escape the wildfires encircling their home in Greece.

Helen Rendell and her husband Ray left their home in Lardos, Rhodes, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The pair, originally from Chelmsford in Essex, joined convoys of vehicles as they tried to head north to safety.

Authorities in Greece have launched the biggest rescue operation of its kind in response to fires across the country.

Helen and Ray Rendell slept for the night on sun loungers on Kalithea beach

"I wasn't frightened, I was more anxious," said Ms Rendall, speaking to BBC Essex.

"It was fear of the unknown because we were all concerned about what we'd come home to. Would our homes be alright?"

Wind coupled with very dry conditions and high temperatures meant wildfires spread across the island

The couple said Glystra beach in Rhodes resembled a "skeleton"

The couple, who have lived on the island more than seven years, tried to reach Rhodes Town in the north, but only made it as far as Kalithea beach.

She said ferries were "chock-a-block" with holiday makers using them as floating hotels.

The pair slept on sunbeds and have returned to their home which was untouched by the fires.

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The 66-year-old said: "The impact on the people here is terrible.

"We know an elderly couple who live about 5km (3.1 miles) from us who lived in one of four houses on this hillside. Today there is only one house still standing.

"It's awful. We have a beautiful beach five minutes down the road from us called Glystra and to see it now, it's a skeleton of a beach."

The couple, from Chelmsford, have lived on the island more than seven years

She said they would not consider moving back to Essex and that they knew wildfires were a risk when they relocated.

About 19,000 people have left their homes and some have been sleeping in disused schools, sports halls, airports and on the streets.

Two EasyJet and four Jet2 repatriation flights to the UK were planned for Monday.