TWO sisters and emergency service workers from Kendal have been left “frustrated and emotionally drained” as they battle to return home from Dubai amid the coronavirus pandemic.

After hearing the British government was advising people to return to the UK, Rosie and Jenny Addison spent more than £1,000 each on in-demand flights back from the Philippines where they had been on holiday since flying out on March 7.

However, after arriving at Dubai International Airport on Tuesday night, Rosie said the pair were told their onward flights had been cancelled and that staff were unable to say what was going on.

She added they had not been allowed to leave the airport and were told they needed to wait for officials to explain what the plan was.

Rosie, 25, works in the accident and emergency department at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and her sister, 28, works for Cumbria Constabulary at Kendal Police Station.

Speaking yesterday, Rosie said: “We are frustrated and emotionally drained.

“We constantly keep seeing the pressures our colleagues are under and see what an amazing job they are doing.

“We feel like we should be standing alongside them, supporting them and working to help the public.”

Rosie said the pair were given a meal of a muffin and a can of pop by security after being in the airport for 12 hours.

But they had been told nothing else about the food situation at the time.

She acknowledged the Government was “under a lot of pressure at the moment” both with helping stranded citizens and dealing with the coronavirus pandemic but said the British Embassy “have not really said anything very helpful” as the sisters remained in limbo.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We recognise British tourists abroad are finding it difficult to return to the UK because of the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions that are being introduced around the world - often with very little or no notice.

“The Government is seeking to keep key transit routes open as long as possible and is in touch with international partners and the airline industry to make this happen.”

Rosie said she and Jenny had contacted Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron. A spokeswoman for his office said Mr Farron had contacted the Foreign Office on their behalf.