It was the moment they thought salvation had come.

With Hurricane Irma wreaking apocalyptic devastation around them the two British couples breathed a sigh of relief when they saw soldiers turn up in jeeps to rescue stranded holidaymakers from the ruins of their hotel.

But their relief turned to dismay when the troops refused to take them, despite there being room in their vehicles, because they were not US nationals.

Bank worker Liz Jackson, 33, and her partner Craig Guest, 34, from Barnsley, who are on the island of Saint Martin alongside a couple from Nottingham, said they now feel abandoned, not just by the Americans, but also by their own government.