A WOMAN from Huddersfield was left sneezing for six hours after her holiday plane was sprayed with insecticide.

Jannette Gillies, 58, of Cross Lane, Primrose Hill, suffered for six hours as she flew back from Egypt.

Other passengers on the Monarch Airlines plane were also affected.

They came down with the sneezing fits after the pesticide was sprayed in their plane as they were in their seats waiting for take-off from Luxor.

Now Mrs Gillies is asking: "What was it? And was it safe?"

She told how the passengers were strapping themselves in when the pilot announced that the interior would be sprayed.

Within 30 minutes of the spray coming through vents, Mrs Gillies and other passengers started sneezing.

But her husband Douglas, 60, sitting beside her at the end of the couple's Egyptian holiday, felt no ill effects.

Mrs Gillies said: "This has never happened to us before when we've come back from Egypt.

"I wasn't the only one affected and I'm worried about what it might have been."

A spokeswoman for Monarch Airlines apologised for any distress but said the spray was not harmful.

The procedure was mandatory on flights returning from malaria-infected countries such as Egypt, Dominican Republic, Gambia, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco and Turkey, she explained.

The spokeswoman said: "The spray that is used has been tested extensively and is made by a specialist producer.

"It is non-CFC, non-flammable and is non-harmful to humans."