A COUPLE who were badly injured in a hot air balloon crash in China have arrived back in the North-East.

David and Hazel Yeadon were flown first-class from Hong Kong to Heathrow and then taken to Teesside Airport by air ambulance on Sunday.

Yesterday, Mr Yeadon, 59, was recovering at home in Boldron, near Barnard Castle, County Durham.

His 54-year-old wife is receiving treatment for crushed vertebrae at a private hospital on Teesside. She is expected to make a full recovery.

The couple, who have travelled to Turkey, Spain, Morocco, Vietnam, Cambodia, India and the US in the past few years, have not been put off travelling.

Mr Yeadon, who suffered fractures to his hip, an elbow and five ribs, said: "Our attitude to life is that it is not a rehearsal and we want to do things while we have a chance."

The retired sales manager said the balloon flight in the Guilin mountains, with three other passengers, went well until a gust of wind blew them into a jagged limestone cliff, which ripped the balloon to shreds.

He said: "As we bumped down the cliff, I thought we had all had it. But we landed on a small ledge.

"We managed to crawl on to it and some climbers came to our rescue fairly quickly.

"Hazel was taken to safety on a stretcher first and I had to wait another hour to be taken."

The couple, who have two sons and a daughter, were treated in a Chinese hospital for 24 hours before they were flown to Hong Kong. All their medical and travel expenses were covered by insurance.

Mrs Yeadon is well-known for her voluntary work for various organisations in Teesdale.