HUMAN shield Antoinette McCormick was safely back in York today - to the great relief of her worried parents.

The 38-year-old, who spent several nights at a power plant in Baghdad last week in a bid to deter Allied bombing, flew back to Britain yesterday from Jordan.

Her mother, Mairi, of Huntington Road, said: "I am totally relieved. We have been living on the edge for a long time."

Her father, John, said: "It's reassuring that she is back, and in one piece. Now we might be able to get on with our lives!"

Antoinette, who was deported from Iraq last week because she only had a tourist visa, said it was "great to be back," and it was good to feel safe again.

But she was convinced her efforts and those of dozens of other shields remaining in Baghdad had been well worthwhile.

She believed the Americans and British would not bomb the power station with shields positioned there, and this would ensure that millions of civilians continued to receive power and water supplies.

"It was very interesting, and I was never bored. It was wonderful to meet these wonderful people."

She said she would like to return to Iraq when the conflict was over to meet up again with some of the people she had got to know during her time there.

In the meantime, she plans to leave York within the next few days to work in the shield's administrative office in London.

Updated: 14:14 Wednesday, April 02, 2003