Holiday-makers ambushed in France

The Smiths are recovering from the ordeal at home

A Shropshire family was ambushed and then kidnapped at gunpoint during a Christmas holiday in France.

Di Smith, 57, and her family were driven to a secluded wood where her daughter and boyfriend were locked in a car boot.

Gillian Smith, 23, and boyfriend Ronnie Huda, also 23, remained locked in the car while Mrs Smith and her husband Malcolm were driven to a nearby town and forced to withdraw money from cash points.

The family's ordeal ended when the gunmen returned Gillian's parents to the wood and slashed the car tyres before disappearing.

Malcolm Smith: "This guy climbed into the car"

"It was a complete nightmare," said Mrs Smith.

"There are a host of things going through your mind like: 'Are they are going to kill us? Are they are going to take us hostage?'," she said.

Mrs Smith and her management consultant husband are recovering at their home in Newport, near Telford, Shropshire, after the attack.

The family were staying in the French village of Vetheuil, on the banks of the Seine north-west of Paris, which features in many of Monet's paintings.

Their ordeal began on Friday, 28 December, just before midnight on the last night of their week-long Christmas break.

They were driving back to their rented house after dinner when a car raced past them and stopped dead, forcing them to brake.

Bundled into boot

Mr Smith said: "I turned around and there was this guy climbing into the back of the car with a big revolver in his hand."

The family was forced to drive to a wood about 20 minutes away.

Gillian and her boyfriend were bundled into the boot of their car and told to remain there or be killed.

Mr Smith was forced into the boot of the robbers' car while his wife was shoved into the passenger seat.

She was driven to a nearby town where the gunman withdrew cash using the family's four cards, taking a total of £1,000.

The gunmen dropped the Smiths back at their car and their daughter and her boyfriend were released.

The family then walked to the nearest house half-an-hour away and called for help.

No-one was hurt during the ordeal.