A MUM has claimed her autistic 13-year-old daughter was removed from a Ryanair flight because cabin crew wouldn't accept she was with her family.

Daisy Maddock, 13, was reportedly left in a Portuguese airport for hours after she was removed from the flight - but Ryanair say they followed protocol.

She had a letter of permission and a copy of her parents' passports as required after her mum Michelle was unable to fly because she had recently suffered a brain bleed.

Daisy was travelling with her aunties, uncles, cousins and godmother on Friday August 10 and was on her way home from Faro to East Midlands Airport having flown out without a problem.

She had been out in the Algarve to celebrate her grandma's birthday.

But just before the plane was about to take off, cabin crew allegedly wouldn’t accept she was flying with her close family.

Michelle, from Kirkby-in-Ashfield, told Nottinghamshire Live: "A lady working for Ryanair came up to my daughter and told her they believed she had gotten on the plane without an adult and she must get off the plane - but an adult has to go with her."

But Ryanair denied the girl was left stranded.

A spokesman said: “Children under-16 years of age are not permitted to travel unaccompanied.

"In this instance, the child was booked on two separate bookings for the outbound and return flights.

“While we regret any inconvenience, as no other adult was travelling on the return booking, she could not travel on the flight.

“As a gesture of goodwill, the child and an accompanying adult were moved on to another booking on the next available flight, which departed to East Midlands later that day.”

But Michelle claimed Daisy's family members explained the situation - showing them the letter and passports, which the budget airline had told her mum to give her.

She said a crew member left and came back with a security guard who then allegedly escorted the girl off the plane.

Michelle said: "My 13-year-old is autistic and was absolutely hysterical. Her 70-year-old godmother was made to leave the plane with her.

"My daughter was absolutely terrified and is now stranded at Faro airport. I have tried for two hours to get hold of Ryanair with no luck."