Another said her family includes a woman who is eight months pregnant, while a third is about to run out of essential heart medication.

Since the air traffic control glitch began on Bank Holiday Monday, readers have been getting in touch with dramatic stories while they are stuck abroad waiting for news about when they will finally be able to fly home.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has said his department has put "temporary alleviations" in place to allow night flights at the airports it regulates. However, he added that the "knock-on effects" of yesterday's disruption are likely to continue over the coming days.

Vicki Ostrowski emailed to say she was stranded in Oslo with a "disabled, wheelchair bound passenger with a neurological disease, an 83-year-old frail relative, plus three other family members".

She added: "I myself will run out of essential heart medication two days before the flight they have reassigned us on 2 September at 5pm!"

Their original flight was at 4.55pm on Monday. She and her group of six have spent £1,000 on hotels for two nights.

They were there for her son's wedding on Saturday, and "this is a shocking end to a happy occasion", she said.

Today, it also happens to be Vicki's birthday.

Kayleigh got in touch to say she was stuck at Las Palmas airport in Gran Canaria.

"It's been 13 hours, it's freezing, and we are trying to get some sleep on the cold floor," she said.

"There are children lying on the cold floor, people making public speeches about the airline and it is sheer pandemonium.

"I have never felt so helpless. Been awake for 22 hours. We've now spent 14 hours in the airport. We were told if we waited 2-3 hours they would sort out a hotel.

"We have still heard nothing with ground staff saying they don't know anything and no one has been around to check if people are okay!"

Read more on this story:
What you need to know
Why can't you get off the plane?
Heathrow warns services will 'remain significantly disrupted'

A reader in Antalya, Turkey, said there were "no meal or food vouchers", while their family included three toddlers under five, a woman eight months pregnant, a pensioner and a "lady whose blood pressure medication has now run out".

There is also a two-year-old boy with "food allergies and we can't find any food for him in the town we've found to stay in".

Megan Gaffney became stranded at the airport in Fuerteventura on Monday evening.

The earliest flight home is 7 September, and airport staff told passengers there were no hotels available.

But staff then called the police and they "eventually found somewhere at 2am where at least 20 plus passengers were put", Ms Gaffney said.

"We have to check out at lunchtime today and have nowhere to go. I have four children with me that are so upset and frightened."