A COUPLE'S beloved pet dog brought chaos to Manchester Airport after escaping a plane's cargo deck and running wild near the runway.

Terry and Susan Smith, of Blackburn, were in their seats ready for take off, safe in the knowledge they were all set for a new life in Lanzarote.

So Terry could not believe his eyes when he saw spaniel Poppy on the tarmac as he looked out of the plane window.

The couple thought Poppy and their collie Pelayo were in the cargo deck inside animal cages after paying a company £800 for the dogs' transportation.

But Poppy had bitten her way out of the cage and was being chased by security staff as Terry, 58, a retired lorry driver, looked out.

The couple immediately got off the plane and helped security staff and police capture Poppy.

For 10 minutes they chased her, but Terry said Poppy was terrified by all the noise and would not let anyone get near to her.

Eventually, after four vehicles had penned her into a small space, an exhausted Poppy allowed Terry to pick her up.

Poppy's actions caused delays to planes.

But, despite a 15-minute delay to their flight, the couple still missed the plane and ended up having to spend another £400 to re-book.

But Terry was just glad his treasured dog was safe.

He said: "I was really worried about her. We didn't know what would have happened if we hadn't caught her. They might have had to shoot her.

"I am just glad we got on that side of the plane.

"If we hadn't we wouldn't have seen her and would have arrived in Lanzarote to find she had been left behind.

"She was absolutely terrified and was running straight across where all the planes came in.

"Then the security were chasing her in their four by fours and trying to cut her off.

"After about 10 minutes they surrounded her and she was just so exhausted that she gave up."

Poppy was taken to quarantine and kept in kennels overnight, which left Terry and Susan even more upset that they could not be with her to ensure she was okay after Tuesday's ordeal.

Terry and Susan, who were living in Calgary Avenue, finally flew out - with the dogs to their new home, the town of Tias, on Thursday.

He added: "They are both superb dogs. They haven't got an ounce of aggression in them. We just couldn't have gone without them."

A spokesman for Cheshire-based Animal Airlines, which transported the dogs for the couple, said it was the first time a dog had escaped in the 40 years the company had been in business.

He added: "If an animal wants to get out then they will. There was nothing we could have done. All our carriers conform to regulations."