North-East holidaymakers tell of their experiences as flights cancelled following attempted Turkey coup - Have relatives there or are you holidaying? Contact us

Britons are advised to "stay indoors" following a night with gunfire and explosions in Ankara and Istanbul and reports of shooting near the tourist resort of Marmaris.

• Darlington man's Tinder date .... in Turkey

British Airways has cancelled all flights to and from the country and the Foreign Office is advising people to avoid public places and areas of conflict.

A British Airways spokeswoman said: "In light of the events unfolding in Turkey, all flights to and from the country have been cancelled today (July 16).

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

"We are keeping flights to Turkey under review. The safety and security of our customers and colleagues remains our top priority at all times. For the latest flight details please refer to ba.com."

• Are you in Turkey or do you have relatives holidaying there? Email newsdesk@nne.co.u

Customers affected by the cancellations are being offered to rebook or a refund, while people currently booked for Sunday or Monday can rebook at no cost, subject to availability, the airline said.

An easyJet spokeswoman said the airline did not expect any changes to its schedule.

"EasyJet flies from the UK to Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman and Ismir in Turkey and has 24 flights to and from Turkey scheduled on July 16.

"We are liaising with the Turkish and British authorities. The safety and security of our passengers and crew is the airline's highest priority.

"Current advice from the British authorities is to continue our flying programme. This will be kept under continuous review," she said.

One North-East resident who is due to fly out to Turkey on Sunday told The Northern Echo of her fears.

Lisa Curry from Bishop Auckland and her family.

Lisa and Stephen Curry, both 37, are meant to be going on a two-week all inclusive holiday with their son Isaac, seven, on Sunday. They are from Bishop Auckland.

Mrs Curry said: “I have been up all night worried sick about it. We booked through Sunshine.co.uk which we have used before and not had any problems and I messaged them on Facebook and got a reply at 5am this morning saying because the Foreign Office have not advised not to travel to Turkey – they are basically just saying to people in Turkey not to leave the hotel and lie low  but not saying anything to people yet to travel – they don’t have to give full refunds.”

Mrs Curry said she finally spoke to someone at the operator who advised her the airline the family is booked on – Thomas Cook – are refunding flights for those due to fly on Saturday or Sunday as a goodwill gesture but she still faces losing more than £2,000 on the accommodation.

She is due to hear whether the family will receive a full refund by Saturday afternoon.

“It looks like we can get the money back with the flight but the accommodation was £2,200 which I don’t want to lose but I don’t want to go to Turkey either,” Mrs Curry added.

“We are in limbo just waiting to see if they offer and alternative.”

The family booked the holiday at Christmas time, with Mrs Curry saying her seven-year-old son, Isaac, has been really looking forward to it.

“Isaac has been really excited – we are meant to be packing the cases today,” she added.

“We would rather have the money back and see about booking a last-minute holiday somewhere else, but we have both booked a fortnight off work which we could lose.

“It was a shock when we heard – I could not believe it. It’s one of those things that you can’t control.

“Hopefully we will have a happy ending but I feel sorry for the people stuck out there and for the families not knowing what’s going on but I also don’t want to go and then have our families worried sick.”

Other holiday makers from the region who are already in the country have told this newspaper of their experiences.

"I'm from Newcastle and arrived here in Icmeler which is next to Marmaris," said Michael Nolan, 61, holidaying with relative John, 73, above. "Everything is normal here, hot and enjoying myself.

"No reason to feel unsafe.

"Reports that the road between Icmeler and Marmaris being road blocked occurred because Erdogan was in Marmaris and the road had to be cleared as he was needed quickly back in Istanbul which is 600 miles away.

"People need to understand, Turkey is a huge country. If a bomb went off in Cornwall, would people stop going to the Scottish highlands for a holiday?

"No British tourists here who I have spoken to today are frightened by the situation."

Claire Walton from Darlington is currently in Turkey with her family.

"We are currently on holiday near Antalya and if we didn't have our phones we would of never knew what was going on," she said. "We have took the advice from the British Embassy and we are staying in the hotel.

"It's very quiet, but spirits are still high. We are scared but don't want to worry the kids so we are just making it fun a day in the pool with temperatures of 35 degrees.

"We are just going to stay vigilant and be aware of quick exit if need be."

Advice on the Foreign Office website said: "There has been large-scale military action in Turkey, with the military deployed to the streets and widespread reports of gunfire and explosions in Ankara and Istanbul.

"The situation now appears quieter in Istanbul, and the bridges across the Bosphorus are reopening. But there are reports of tank fire and small arms fire in Ankara.

"Some flights to airports in Turkey are being diverted or cancelled. The road between Marmaris and Icmeler remains closed, following earlier reports of gunfire between the resorts of Marmaris and Icmeler.

"We strongly advise you to stay indoors, avoid public places, in particular demonstrations, and remain vigilant."

The Foreign Office advises people due to travel to or from Turkey over the next few days to closely monitor travel advice and check with airlines or tour operators before travelling.

Turkish Airlines said its operations at Istanbul Ataturk Airport have gone back to normal and flights are resuming.

The UK's largest travel association, Abta, said it was liaising closely with the FCO and travel providers.

Thomas Cook is advising its customers to "stay in their hotels until further notice".

A spokeswoman for the company said: "We note the reports coming out of Turkey regarding a military coup. There is no indication that guests in the coastal resorts are affected.

"However, as a precautionary measure, we advise our customers in resort to stay in their hotels until further notice.

"There has been no change to Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice regarding travel to Turkey and our flight and holiday programme is operating as normal.

"However, given the circumstances, we are offering free amendments and cancellations for all customers due to fly to Turkey on Saturday July 16 and Sunday July 17.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and will update when we have further information.

"Any customers with any concerns about their holiday should contact us on 01733 224536."