The camper van was stolen close to the border

English couple Jock and Kath Fordyce were attacked as they slept in their camper van on the first night of their holiday in County Louth in June.

Back home in Skegness the couple, both in their 60s, told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra they felt lucky to be alive.

During the attack, Mrs Fordyce's skull was fractured and her ribs were broken.

Their van was later found on fire across the border near Meigh.

When the door was broken in, I honestly thought it was curtains for us,

Kath Fordyce

Despite their ordeal, they said they are determined to return to Ireland to thank the people who helped them.

Jock Fordyce said: "Any human being doing a thing like that, they're savages really."

He said the attack would not put them off returning to Ireland.

"The time we were in Ireland, especially in Our Lady of Lourdes and St James' Hospital, we could not have got better service anywhere in the world."

Mrs Fordyce said she had been touched by the kindness shown to her by Irish people after the attack.

"I was completely overwhelmed by the number of cards and letters and flowers we received. I've never seen so many flowers in my life."

She said she gets flashbacks about the attack, has bouts of dizziness and has difficulty sleeping.

"But we are alive, that's the main thing. When the door was broken in, I honestly thought it was curtains for us," she said.

"I didn't think we would see the children again."

Two men have been in court in connection with the attack on the couple.

They face charges of hijacking, aggravated burglary and stealing cash and belongings while armed with a hatchet and a machete.