Rugby star's pregnant wife stranded

England rugby league captain and Leeds Rhinos player Jamie Peacock, 30, said he was worried that not enough was being done to help people stranded in Bangkok after protesters took over its international airport.

Peacock's wife Faye, 33, who is six months pregnant, their son Lewis, four, and Faye's mother Pat were due to fly back to England from Bangkok on Monday when Suvarnabhumi international airport was seized by protesters.

He said: "I think the story has gone under a little bit and more of an effort needs to be made to get all the people who are stuck there out of there, because the country is on the brink of a lot of trouble."

Mrs Peacock was returning from supporting her husband at the Rugby League World Cup when her flight back to the UK was cancelled and she was trapped at the airport. When she finally managed to get out and was trying to get back to a hotel, her husband said she faced intimidating behaviour from more protesters outside the terminal building.

Although she is now at a hotel in Bangkok, he said she was feeling frustrated at the situation and losing hope of leaving in the next few days.

He said: "I think it has hit home that it is going to be a real struggle to get out of there, which it shouldn't be. They are trying to use an army air base to get people out, but not enough flights are going through there, it is not being used to its capacity.

"It's as if they have forgotten about these people."

All flights in and out of Thailand's main airport have been cancelled since the People's Alliance for Democracy took over the building, demanding the resignation of Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

But Mr Peacock said the protesters had "made their point" and should leave the airport.