An engineer who fleed crisis-hit Libya over the weekend was due to be reunited with his family last night.

Richard Vipond, 48, had been stuck at a building site in Misratah since the chaos started earlier this month.

But he managed to escape the African country after boarding the Italian navy ship San Giorgio at the port of Misratah, east of Tripoli.

He arrived in Sicily after a 36 hour journey and stayed the night on the island before boarding a plane which left Catania Airport at 4pm yesterday. The flight was due to arrive at London Gatwick at 8pm.

His wife Lisa and son Daniel drove down from the family home in Magdalen, near King's Lynn, to greet the 48-year-old at the London airport.

Mr Vipond went to Libya last April and worked in an advisory capacity for the Libyan government on the building of a �450m university.

The UK's response to rescuing civilian nationals from Libya during the current crisis was praised by the former head of the Army. General Sir Richard Dannatt said the RAF had done well to extract civilians from difficult circumstances.