Cyclone Debbie: Stranded tourist charged for not returning hire car

A furious British tourist who found herself stranded by Cyclone Debbie claims she was forced to pay $158 for failing to return her rental car on time.

Victoria Cao, of Cardiff, planned to drive to Airlie Beach in Queensland in a Mitsibushi Outlander rented from a company at the Brisbane Airport.

But when the fierce storm tore through the holiday resort, Ms Cao was left stuck in Rockhampton.

She says she informed the company of the change in her plans but was told she would have to fork out for an extension because the company "can't give out free car hire".

Ms Cao vented her anger on social media, tweeting how she felt "absolutely appalled" at the $158 charge.

She said she booked the holiday with her credit card at a UK travel company, so she was powerless to object.

Ms Cao is reportedly making a complaint about the extra money.

The cyclone brought wind gusts in excess of 260kmh over the Whitsunday Islands region yesterday as emergency services warned people to stay indoors and roads were closed.

A spokesman for the car hire company told Nine.com.au Ms Cao was charged for an extension "in error" and it had verbally assured her the mistake will be addressed.

"Today, we have spoken with Ms Cao and assured her that we will correct the error," the spokesman said.

"She also has the mobile phone number of one of our staff to ensure any additional needs can be taken care of," he added.