An Irvine couple have told of their horror after being caught up in the recent Barcelona terrorist attack.

Jean and Eric Park were sitting just 100 yards away from the spot in Las Ramblas when a terrorist drove a van in to the area, killing 13 people and injuring at least 130 more.

Luckily the couple, from Bank Street, escaped injury and managed to hurriedly retreat to the safety of their hotel room in the midst of all the chaos.

Speaking exclusively to the Times, Jean, 70, said: “We were sitting outside in a cafe next to our hotel enjoying a drink just 100 yards from where it all happened.

“We didn’t see the van but we heard all the commotion immediately after it had happened.

“The first we knew was people screaming and wailing and running away from the scene and into our hotel.

“We were told to get inside the hotel which we did and we stayed there for five hours before we were allowed back out.

“We could see police and ambulances from our balcony. It was all very scary.”

Jean says the incident was made all the more frightening for her and Eric, 73, because the couple had stood on the exact spot the terrorists hit, just the night before.

She said: “It was a scary time but we knew we were safe inside our hotel.

“The most frightening thing for us was thinking that Eric and I had taken a stroll down that very part of Las Ramblas just the night before. That’s a terrifying thought.”

The couple were in the Spanish city enjoying a four day break when the white van mounted the pavement and struck several people in Barcelona’s tourist hot spot Las Ramblas.

Thirteen people were killed, when, according to witnesses, the van zigzagged down the promenade mowing down innocent bystanders in its way.

Eyewitness footage and photos have since shown bodies strewn along the pavement in pools of blood before the driver left the van and fled on foot. Despite being caught up in the devastating scenes, Jean says it will not put her off visiting big cities.

She said: “It doesn’t put me off. They can strike anywhere at any time. “We were very, very lucky to not have been affected but you can’t live your life in fear.”