A Bath businesswoman has returned home after being stranded in Thailand during the country's political protests.

Joanna Smith, who runs a silver jewellery stall outside the Pump Room, could not get home for five days after anti-government demonstrators grounded all flights at Bangkok's main airport.

She found herself caught up in the effects of violent protests after unrest broke out in the country during her business trip.

Miss Smith, 40, from Peasedown St John, has been to Thailand a number of times on business and had flown out to Bangkok on November 18 to buy new Christmas stock for her stall Jewel in the Dust.

She was due to stay in the country for a week, but on the day she was supposed to fly home, protestors took control of the city's Suvarnabhumi airport.

Over the next five days, Miss Smith struggled to get information about how she could get home and was stuck in her hotel listening to explosions and gunfire in the streets.

She said: "The atmosphere out there was really tense. When I first heard about the protests I knew this wasn't something that would blow over, I knew it would have quite a way to go.

"I was in touch with the British embassy and I just kept passing on any information they gave me to other foreigners I knew out there, Germans and Italians."

One of her most frightening experiences was when she found herself in the middle of a protest outside a pro-government TV station not far from her hotel.

Miss Smith said: "A friend had suggested we walk to a park around the corner because we were feeling so tense.

"When we arrived there were about 150 people protesting, wearing scarves over their faces, and there was no way we could get through.

"One woman grabbed my arm and dragged me over to a poster of the prime minister and told me to stamp on it.

"It was very scary because I had no idea what they were going to do."

All the airlines' websites were reporting there were no flights out of Thailand, although one was asking customers to pay an extra £200 to book a seat on flights.

Miss Smith said: "Some airlines were behaving in a really unsupportive fashion. They were asking for money for what they called an "upgrade", but it was just extra money to reserve a seat.

"I rang a friend in tears on the Saturday afternoon, I was feeling so emotional because I had just spoken to my 16-year-old daughter who was crying.

"I didn't know what to do, I just wanted to get home, so my friend took all the numbers for my travel insurance company and the airlines and said she would sort it out.

"She was told there was a flight going out from U-Tapuo airport but they couldn't guarantee a seat for me on it."

Miss Smith travelled 90 miles south of Bangkok to the airport and managed to get a flight home on Sunday morning.

She said: "I was one of the very lucky ones and managed to get a seat. It was very tense at the airport, with people pushing and shoving.

"It is a tiny airport and the security were trying their best but it was still very scary."

Now she is home Miss Smith says her experience has not put her off going back to the country that she loves.

She said: "It won't stop me going back there because I have a real connection with Thailand.

"The Thai people could not have been more sweet. My supplier was helping me with translations on the phone to the airlines and the lady running my hotel was a big help too.

"I think they felt a bit embarrassed and ashamed because the protests had caused so much disruption."