A COUPLE who survived a deadly terrorist attack in Tunisia have returned to the scene on the fourth anniversary of the atrocity.

Jacqui and Steve Walls, from Malton, laid flowers on Wednesday next to a memorial plaque to 38 people - including 30 British tourists - who were killed when a gunman opened fire on June 26, 2015.

The couple said they wanted to be there in Port El Kantaoui, near Sousse, at the time of the anniversary partly to show support for the ordinary Tunisian people, who had suffered a huge blow to the tourism economy after the Islamist attack.

Steve said: “We are here on holiday, having arrived on the 24th for two weeks.”

He said the Imperial Marhaba hotel, where Jacqui hid terrified in a room for more than an hour, fearing he was dead, during the attacker’s rampage, was still not used by British tour operators but he believed they would recommence using it shortly.

“We’re staying at the Royal Kenz Hotel a two minute walk away,” he said. “We placed a bouquet of roses next to the memorial plaque.

“We shed a few tears but the hotel staff were very supportive.”

He said they met another couple, from Sunderland, who also escaped the attack unharmed and had returned and laid flowers.

Steve and Jacqui have both been diagnosed as suffering from severe post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of their experiences, and have said return visits are part of their healing process. Jacqui, 61, said "sometimes to overcome those anxieties and fears, you have to face it to get that closure".

Back in 2015, Jacqui was walking along the beach when the gunman opened fire. She fled into the grounds of the hotel, while Steve went running down to the beach to look for her and came across casualties on the beach.