A British pensioner whose wife died from cancer after he booked EasyJet flights to Malta was refused a refund by the airline, until the matter was taken up by the press.

Thomas Douglas-Woods, 85, told UK newspapers that he had booked the flights several months before his wife Margaret became too ill to travel.

She died before the planned trip in October.

Mr Douglas-Woods said the airline ignored his request for a refund for months until the media took up his case.

"'I think it's absolutely disgusting. This is a genuine case, it's not someone who's broken down on the way to the airport,” he told the Daily Star.

EasyJet eventually relented and refunded the airfare.

A spokesman for the airline said: "EasyJet is a no-refunds airline, however we fully understand that our customers' travel plans and circumstances may change due to a bereavement.

"We can confirm that the refund has now been processed in full."