Queues stretched across Gatwick Airport yesterday as hundreds of Americans tried to return home, desperate to be reunited with loved ones.

Passengers faced agonising waits to board flights to America, in the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

Lisa Webb was one of a group of 27 friends and relatives who had been due to travel back to New York last Wednesday.

Ms Webb, 37, and her friends, Kimberley Goodson, 32, and William Yole, 33, felt a momentary surge of relief after hearing they had got flights to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Ms Webb said: "We cannot wait to get home.We now know a good friend of ours, Alan Upton, was killed on the 107th floor of the second tower.

"One of our party who went to college with him managed to get a flight back yesterday. He was distraught."

Her friend Kimberley Goodson, a loan consultant in New York, fought back tears and said: "I think my friend Lisa may have been killed. I have not been able to speak to her and am really worried."

Other passengers also had to cope with heartache as they faced huge delays and uncertainty about flights.

Mother and daughter, Margaret and Ellen Balfour, were due to fly back from Sussex to Louisiana on Friday, after a month-long tour of Europe. They eventually managed to get on a flight to Atlanta.

Margaret, 51, a nurse, said: "We found out about the attacks while in Athens. I phoned my husband and he told me to turn on the television. We couldn't believe our eyes."

Ellen, 26, a medical student in Cincinnati, said: "I couldn't stop crying. My boyfriend lost a good friend who was on the plane which crashed into the Pentagon."

Donald Dillard, 53, a computer consultant from Denver, Colorado, was in Horsham when he heard of the tragedy.

He said: "I was supposed to fly back on Friday. I have been in shock and feel a long way from home."

Despite the lack of flights and strict security measures causing check-in delays in both the north and south terminals, no one has complained.

Paul Kutter, 42, a financial analyst, had been booked on a flight to his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, but found himself on a flight to Atlanta, more than 250 miles away.

He said: "I am pleased security has been stepped up. It's worth the wait. You can't put a price on human life."

Amid the confusion, one man has provided solace to distressed passengers.

For Canon Kevin McHugh, a Roman Catholic chaplain at Gatwick Airport, the last few days have been his busiest ever.

He said: "I have spoken to grieving Americans and upset British passengers who were caught up in the tragedy. People just hope to be called for a flight.

"People across Sussex have offered to put stranded passengers up in their homes for free."

In America, one Sussex woman who was staying in New York at the time of the attacks was forced out of her hotel when her insurance company refused to pay for her unexpected extra days there.

Yvonne Maxwell, a mental health worker from Kemp Town in Brighton, was packing to fly back to England last Tuesday when she heard about the first plane crashing into the World Trade Centre.

Yvonne said: "I heard about the first crash on the TV and didn't quite believe it. Then I heard about the second and ran out on to the streets, to see everybody just standing and staring down at the financial district where there was a load of smoke."

Yvonne was unable to fly back on her scheduled flight but found she could not afford to stay in her hotel. A clause in her travel insurance specified she was not insured for acts of terrorism.

Fortunately, another Kemp Town resident and friend, Meg Maloney, who runs Penny Lane Gallery, was in New York. Yvonne, who is not able to fly back until Wednesday, has been staying at Meg's apartment.

Yvonne said: "I don't know how other British people are coping with hotel bills. Nothing is cheap in New York. It costs £100 to £200 a night here.

"I've tried to help but they don't want any more volunteers. They don't need health workers because nobody's coming out of the wreckage anymore.

"They don't need blood either because so many have come forward. They need construction workers."

In Sussex, people are still gathering to sign books of condolence and attend church services.

Last night, at St Peter's Church in Brighton, people were invited to a vigil of prayer and reflection.

Due to attend were Brighton and Hove Mayor Harry Steer and Sussex Muslim leader Iman Sajid, who was quick to condemn the atrocities.

Canon Douglas McKittrick, Vicar of Brighton, said Brighton was connected to the tragedy through one of its biggest employers, American Express.

Many people in the city have friends or relatives who are still unaccounted for.

Canon McKittrick said: "These atrocities had nothing to do with religion. There is no place in the Bible or the Koran for acts of this kind."

To check flights details contact:

Gatwick Airport on 0870 0002468
British Airways on 0845 77 999 77
Virgin Atlantic on 01293 747747
United Arlines on 001 800 932 8555
American Airlines on 001 800 245 0999