After a week of worry and uncertainty, Richard Vipond has told the EDP how delighted he is to have returned to Norfolk after fleeing the chaos in Libya in an exclusive interview.
The 48-year-old had been stuck at a building site in Misratah as the country plummeted further into chaos last week.
But the engineer managed to escape the country with other Europeans by boarding the Italian navy ship San Giorgio at the port in Misratah on Friday night.
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 on Monday.
His wife Lisa and son Daniel drove down from the family home in Magdalen, near King's Lynn, to greet the 48-year-old after his flight landed at London Gatwick at around 8pm.
*Watch the video to hear about Mr Vipond's traumatic week in crisis-hit Libya and read today's EDP for the full story
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