Choir left stranded by Tropical Storm Irene

Members of a touring choir based near the Shropshire border were among those stranded in America due to the chaos caused by Tropical Storm Irene.

Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir found themselves at the centre of the storm in New York.

The 72-strong group, which includes choir members from the Oswestry area, initially took cover in the Wolcott Hotel but yesterday they were split into a number of groups around the city.

With transport links in and out of the city suspended, the choir will have to return to Britain in separate groups on different flights over the next few days, with some having to wait until Friday for a seat to become available.

The singers were originally due to fly home last night but will now be split between JFK, Newark and La Guardia airports.

Dave Jones, choir chairman, revealed choir members kept spirits high by singing with hotel guests and a Russian ladies' choir. He said morale among the touring party was "very high".