PROUD dad Alf Mead was exactly where he should have been on Saturday - walking his daughter down the aisle after flying halfway round the world to surprise her.

Mr Mead looked set to miss the Darlington wedding of his daughter Judith to Adam Kane on Saturday when his recovery from a back injury ate into his planned leave from his job on BP oil tankers off Malaysia.

However, sympathetic BP bosses stepped in and flew Mr Mead back to the UK so that he could walk Judith down the aisle and there were emotional scenes when he surprised her at the wedding rehearsal at the Blackwell Grange Hotel, Darlington on Friday night.