Passengers booked on a Norwegian coastal cruise trip were turned back at Bergen after the country went into Coronavirus lockdown.

Trevor Cowin, who was in a party of six from the island, told how they were locked in a room at Bergen airport surrounded by armed police.

’We were liked caged animals, with eight armed police outside.

’People were getting a bit agitated, some had medication in their luggage,’ he said.

Seventy passengers, 50 of them British, flew with Norwegian Air from Gatwick to Bergen the Friday before last.

They were booked to go on a coastal cruise with Hurtigruten with the chance of spotting the Northern Lights.

Instead, after landing at 1.15pm, they walked up to passport control only to be told to wait in a sideroom.

The Norwegian government has placed the country in lockdown, with foreign citizens banned from entering the country.

That ban came into effect at 8am on Sunday March 15, but Prime Minister Erna Solberg had announced the Thursday before that international travellers who come to Norway risked facing a mandatory 14-day quarantine, regardless of their health.

Mr Cowin, of Peel, said: ’A lot of passengers from other flights were walking straight through. They showed us into a bigger sideroom which had cold water and a toilet.

’At 4pm the deputy airport manager arrived having just come on duty and been informed out our situation. He said he would try to get food and some wraps and baps arrived an hour later.

’The main problem was a lack of communication.’

Some passengers contacted the British Embassy in London and the Consulate in Oslo but got no help.

Finally, the passengers were put on a flight back to Gatwick, which took off about 8pm.

They had been told their luggage would be transferred onto their flight but in the air, the pilot announced this hadn’t happened.

The group were put up in a hotel by the airport overnight and were reunited with their luggage the next morning.

But with no seats available back to the island on Saturday, they had to wait until Sunday evening before they could get home.

’At least we all got back safely,’ said Mr Cowin. However, he is out of pocket and the forced abandoment of the trip is not covered by insurance and he had to pay £236 extra for flights back home.