THE owner of a York guest house did not just go the extra mile for his guests when they were stranded due to the Icelandic volcano – he went more than 2,000 miles for them.

David Leedham, who owns the York House in Heworth Green with his wife, Kath, was playing host to a Spanish couple visiting their daughter at York St John University when flight restrictions hit the UK.

He said: “They asked if they could book their room for another three days until a flight became available, which we arranged. But on Monday their daughter came to the house very upset.

“There had been a death in the family in Spain, and the couple wanted to get back there as soon as possible.”

David looked at alternative options for Jose and Roldau Trigueros-Ramirez, including using local taxi firms to drive the couple to Barcelona.

He said: “I tried various firms because the train companies were really busy and got quotes from £750 to £3,000. In the end we decided it would be cheaper for me to drive them to Barcelona where they could catch a train home.”

After renting a comfortable car, David and his friend, Martin Vaughan, set off with the couple to Dover at 1.30pm on Monday.

They caught the ferry to Calais, drove through France and Spain to Barcelona with Martin and David driving in shifts. He said: “We got a bit lost in Paris and had to pay a taxi driver 40 Euros to lead us in the right direction. But we finally arrived in Barcelona on Wednesday morning.

“We agreed that we would only charge the couple for tolls, ferry fares and food on the road, so in the end it cost them £1,500 to get to Barcelona, which they were more than happy with.”