Former Thomas Cook employee says she's defaulted on her mortgage after losing her job

A former Thomas Cook employee from the north east has detailed the impact it's had on her life, saying she has defaulted on her mortgage.

Emma French, who worked as cabin crew for 13 years, was among former employees from the region who travelled to Westminster on Wednesday to protest.

They handed in petitions to Number 10 and the Business Department calling for a full inquiry into the travel giant's collapse. There were also calls for the Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom to ensure former employees were paid their unpaid wages.

Ms French, from Dudley, said she discovered she was out of a job and that the company had collapsed when she was on holiday in Jamaica.

She said: "My first priority was to get back home. We were due to come home with Thomas Cook but all their flights were cancelled.

"I rang the Civil Aviation Authority who were arranging repatriation. I was on the first flight out and when I was on the plane I thought 'I have not got a job, I've lost my job'."

Ms French said she had not been paid since August and was unsure as to what was going to happen with redundancy payments, or whether they would get the full amount they are owed.

She said: "I have defaulted on my mortgage payment and my car payment."

Some former staff were being given food vouchers, she added.

The protest in London was being supported by the Unite trade union, which represents much of the affected workforce.

Diana Holland, Unite's assistant general secretary, said: "Unite is pleased to be supporting the lobby and protest in Parliament that has been organised by Thomas Cook workers who lost their jobs without warning.

"The fact that workers are coming to Parliament from all parts of the UK demonstrates just how angry workers are with the government, which they rightly believe has abandoned them."

Following the news the firm had collapsed, Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said: "I would like to assure members of the House that the government is committed to supporting those affected, including by providing repatriation flights free of charge for all of those people."