Widow Carole Gait is still waiting for compensation for her husband's death almost 11 years after the tragic accident which killed him.

Mrs Gait and her husband Edward were enjoying their first holiday abroad, in Tenerife, when the roof of a cafe collapsed on them.

The accident happened in December 1989, and since then Mrs Gait has fought for compensation from the owners of Los Cristianos Cafe for the death of her husband and for the serious injuries she suffered, which still affect her today.

In April last year Mrs Gait was offered £30,000 for the death of her husband and £8,000 for her injuries.

She reluctantly decided to take the offer but in the time it took her to write to her solicitors to say she would accept, the legal team working on behalf of the cafe appealed against the decision and are still fighting to bring down the amount of compensation.

Mrs Gait said: "The amount of money that was offered was completely derisory, but I just wanted the whole thing to come to an end, so I wrote to my solicitors to say I would accept it.

"It has been very difficult financially, because I don't work, but it has also been very difficult emotionally.

"When the offer of the money came last year, I was happy that it was finally going to be over with then there is this other delay."

Mrs Gait had thought of appealing against the decision, but when her lawyers told her it could take more than two years, she decided that it was better to accept the offer than prolong the agony.

She says the thought that it could be at least one year before she hears anything from the Spanish lawyers is devastating, but there is nothing she can do about it.

"I just want to get the whole thing over and done with now," she said.

After the Tenerife accident, Mrs Gait was taken to hospital in Spain, then transferred to Swindon's Princess Margaret Hospital on Christmas Eve 1989.

She remained there until March 1990, due to the severity of her injuries the heel of her foot was sliced off and her left leg was severely damaged and she was confined to a wheelchair for some time after she left hospital.

"I was devastated when I came back home," said Mrs Gait, who still lives in the Haydon Wick home she shared with her husband.

"I still haven't been able to draw a line underneath everything that happened and get on with my life, because it has gone on for so long and still hasn't come to an end."