The family of Annie and John Hofton have called off the search for the couple after visiting the area where they were swept away by the tsunami.

Son Stacey, 37, and stepsons Edward, 32, and Thomas, 30, agreed to call off the search for Annie and husband John after they visited the area with an ITV film crew.

Annie, 57, ran Tizzies boutique on Belle Vue Terrace for over 20 years. John, 62, a sales manager, was a member of Sapey Golf Club.

The pair, who lived in Wichenford, visited Thailand several times and holidayed in the same Khao Lak resort in 2003.

Their sons flew out there last Saturday, after an agonising week waiting for news. Their despair at what they saw was shown on the programme 7 Days That Shook The World.

"It's devastating, absolutely horrific," said Thomas. "I'm surprised even one person survived."

John's brother Jimmy described the scene: "The hotel they stayed in has been virtually erased - there's so little left of it.

"The water at that particular point had gone back three kilometres and the boys said that, where the water had left its mark on the trees, it had easily been up to 10 metres high. It's desperate out there."

After being forced to conclude they would never see their parents again, the sons spent their last evening on the beach remembering them and floating lit candles on the now-calm surface of the ocean.

On Wednesday, Jimmy said of their visit: "It helped. They would've regretted it for the rest of their lives if they hadn't have gone. It was only by going they knew there was no chance that they could have survived. They checked every hospital."

Although the news was bad, Jimmy said that bringing the search to an end was a relief.

"They died together in a place they loved," he explained. He said a memorial service would be held in due course.