A Kent holidaymaker has told how relieved she is to be back home after a gunman opened fire on a Tunisian beach.

Nicole Harris and her boyfriend David Schofield were staying in Sousse where the shootings took place on Friday. At least 38 are dead, many of them believed to be British.

The couple were by the pool when they heard gunfire.

Miss Harris, who used to live in Minster on the Isle of Sheppey, and Mr Schofield were staying at the Royal Kenz Hotel, two doors down from the Imperial Marhaba where the terror attack happened.

The two sites share the same stretch of beach and on the morning of the shooting the couple had decided to stay by the pool rather than go down onto the seafront.

Miss Harris said: "We were next to the path that leads to the beach you can see in some of the photos so we were really lucky we made that decision.

"It was really surreal what was happening. We were just laying by the pool and suddenly everyone started moving inside.

"So we followed them and we asked one of the entertainment reps what was happening and we were told there were police with guns and we need to get everyone inside.

"So we went indoors without really knowing what was going on. As we were moving we heard what we now believe to be a grenade which obviously made us move a lot faster into the hotel.

"We were told to go into the rooms and we would be contacted when it's safe, which is obviously really scary because you are just in a room waiting and there are sirens going off and helicopters flying around."

The 25-year-old was one of the first group of tourists to get on a flight back to the UK yesterday (Saturday) morning. Miss Harris is now staying with her mother in Minster.

Miss Harris, who now lives in Manchester, has just qualified as a primary school teacher and had hoped to enjoy her last holiday during term time.

She said: "I feel lucky that we made the decision [to stay by the pool] and obviously I really feel for all the friends and family of those who were not as fortunate as were were.

"I hope all the injured can get back to the UK as soon as possible."

Another woman, on holiday abroad with her young daughter for the first time, told how a last minute coach trip may have saved her life.

Sue Sharp, 31, who lives with her parents in Tufton Road, Rainham, flew out to Sousse on Wednesday with her daughter Abigail, 10. It is their first holiday abroad.

The pair had been planning to take a trip to the beach where a gunman opened fire on Friday, but the day before booked a coach trip somewhere else.

They are staying at a hotel 20 minutes away from where the shootings happened.

Speaking from Tunisia, Sue said: “We travelled with my friend’s mum as she’s been coming to this country for the last 26 years and knows all the good places. We had booked the coach excursion the day before so the beach was on our to do list in the week.

“We learnt of the incident within minutes really, news travels so quickly here.

“We had just come back from a coach trip from Hammamet and had entered our hotel. Within minutes I could tell something was wrong as there was people gathered in the hotel lobby, presumably for the internet.

“My friend told me what had happened and my blood ran cold instantly. Not what I had visioned for my first holiday with my daughter.

“I phoned my mum and dad straight away to let them know we were safe and left a voicemail with Abi’s dad to let him know we were okay.

“My mum was in tears but happy to hear from us.

“We are staying strictly on the hotel complex now. There is a lot more staff on duty now and doing all they can to lighten the mood.

“It’s a shame really as these lovely people out here will lose a lot of tourism because of a couple of idiots’ actions.

"After the news we went to our rooms as we figured it was the safest thing to do. When we went down for dinner we learned that the other man had been caught. I was relieved to hear to this.

“We could hear multiple sirens of police cars and ambulances going past.

“Many stories were floating about, like Chinese whispers. The internet is not great and foreign news is hard to decipher.

“It could have easily been our hotel or us at the beach as I planned to get Abigail a camel ride and visit the same beach.

“It’s purely luck that we didn’t go. I have genuinely felt safe here and I am normally very paranoid about stuff like this. I’m just glad we are somewhere safe, bad timing though!

“Our hotel is 20mins away. We heard the other man got caught when we went down for dinner at 8ish. I don’t know how he was captured or where. It’s just a relief to know he is not on the run anymore.

“It is the first time we’ve ever flown. Abi knows what happened – she’s very grown up for her age, and there is no point in hiding it. She had a little cry and was sick a couple of times; she gets anxious."

At least 38 people are believed to have been killed and many injured in the attack on the beach in the Tunisian resort town of Sousse.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has called for solidarity in the wake of the attack, which has been claimed by Islamic State.