STOURBRIDGE boss Gary Hackett is one of the thousands of British tourists who have been evacuated out of crisis-torn Gambia.

The Glassboys’ manager was on a week-long holiday in West Africa with his wife Kate before being sent home due to the country's ongoing political unrest.

He has spoken to the News about the chaos the couple experienced as they scrambled to get on flights.

Gambia has been under the threat of military action after former president Yahya Jammeh refused to hand over power to his successor Adama Barrow.

Mr Barrow was sworn in to office at the Gambian embassy in neighbouring Senegal on Thursday, as pressure increased on Mr Jammeh to peacefully step aside.

Sengalese troops entered the country, prompting the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to issue a warning to British tourists in the country, launching a mass evacuation.

The troops have since been told to stop their advance while negotiations hope to bring a peaceful end to the crisis.

Gary, who has missed Stourbridge’s previous two matches, flew out to Gambia last Friday and was originally due back home today (Friday, January 20), but his trip was cut short.

The 54-year-old said: “On Tuesday morning we had a letter put through our hotel door telling us to not leave the complex due to political unrest, but a few of us went outside for a meal at one of the local restaurants.

“There was quite an eerie feeling around, but everything was still operating as normal.

“But then on Wednesday morning we had another letter saying we must go and see our travel rep who told us to pack our bags straight away.

“By half past one we were all evacuated out of the hotel and taken to the airport.

“As we left we could start to see all the restaurants and shops starting to close up. The beaches were empty.

“When we got to the airport we found out they had evacuated everyone. It was chaos. It was so busy that people couldn’t even get inside.

“The only scary moment for me was seeing all the military vehicles driving past. That’s when it became ‘real’.”

Gary was back at his Hagley home on Thursday morning, but rather than being concerned about putting in a compensation claim, he said his main worry is the impact the situation would have on the people of Gambia.

“We all got home safely and are beginning to go back to work and get on with our lives,” he said. “But it’s not like that for the people in Gambia.

“What is most sad is that the country is a great place full of lovely people who rely on tourism to survive and they are going to suffer so much because of this.”

Despite his ordeal, Gary will be back on the War Memorial Ground touchline for Saturday’s league match against Marine.

He added: “While we were out in Gambia we had so many messages from people wishing us the best for our safety, and there seemed to be more concern from people in the UK than there did in Gambia.

“But I’ll be back for the Marine game. I was only due to miss one Saturday, but I did go to training last night and the lads obviously had a bit of a joke about it.”