A Sussex couple caught in the aftermath of the Bali bomb were told to cut short their dream holiday for their safety.

Grandparents Gerry Mooney, 69, and wife Beryl, 62, who live in Oaklands Avenue, Saltdean, have arrived home.

They were on a two-week holiday in Sanur, 12 miles from the beach resort of Kuta, which was hit by the blast that killed more than 180 people.

The couple were a week into the £3,000 Saga trip, booked eight months ago, when they were told to leave.

This is the second time the pair have narrowly missed tragedy while on holiday.

They visited the temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, Egypt, four weeks before the massacre of 62 tourists by Islamic militants in 1997.

Following his latest ordeal, Mr Mooney, a retired flight simulator engineer, said: "We had been out for the evening, dancing and drinking at the Saga club. We left at about 11pm and had just got back to our hotel.

"We were on our way to our room, heard a bang and thought someone had slammed the French doors. Someone else thought the noise was fireworks.

"We didn't give it another thought until the following morning when we were told about the bombing.

"We had satellite television and that was all it was showing. We were devastated for those involved and also for the locals who work in the hotels.

"All the workers at our hotel were losing their jobs at the end of the week.

"Tourism was the only industry they had."

Mr and Mrs Mooney felt safe in the resort and wanted to stay but they were told to leave for their safety.

Mr Mooney said: "At first the airport was taken over by the Australians who were bringing in help and dealing with the dead and injured.

"So we couldn't fly back then. But on Tuesday we were taken to the main airport."

The couple saw queues of exhausted people, many of whom were Australians with surfboards, stretching down the road.

Mr and Mrs Mooney, who have a daughter Penny, 37, and two grandchildren Lois, 17, and Alex, 16, arrived back on Wednesday after a 16-hour flight.

Mr Mooney said: "I think what happened in Bali will take a while to sink in."

In the days prior to the bombing, the couple had been enjoying themselves by snorkelling, canoeing and swimming on the island.

Asked if they would go back, Mr Mooney said: "Bali was beautiful. But we have a policy not to go to places more than once. Life is so short and the world is so big."

Since their retirement, the couple have travelled to exotic destinations including Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Mexico, Trinidad, Thailand, Egypt and Tobago. They go away two or three times a year.

The massacre of tourists in Luxor did not put them off travelling and neither has the bombing in Bali on Saturday.

They are already planning their next trip - to the Maldives for Mr Mooney's 70th birthday in May.