Peacehaven family in race to receive passport before holiday

Chris Taylor, a self-employed plumber and gas engineer from Peacehaven, was meant to go on a holiday to Turkey with 16 family and friends this Saturday, along with his 13-year-old daughter Sienna.

But the father-of-five, who received two renewed passports for other family members in April, has yet to receive the final one despite applying 13 weeks ago.

The 39-year-old told how he has taken time off work to be on hold with the passport office - spending more than 120 hours on the phone trying to resolve the issue since originally applying on February 18.

From left, Sienna, 13, who has not received a renewed passport, Chris, and Bella, 11, who has received a passport

The Home Office said it has seen increased demand due to five million people in the country delaying passport applications due to the pandemic.

Chris told The Argus: “I woke up last Saturday to my partner crying. The stress she’s had is ridiculous. I have been up all night with a migraine trying to resolve this.

I have lost three days’ work trying to sort it out, being on the phone for up to four hours then been cut off.

One of the UK's seven passport offices. Picture by Albert Bridge

“That is £600 quid lost for me which is a joke, not to mention the money on phone calls and the stress.

“It’s not just us affected, obviously the others will still go but the whole point is that we all went together and finally enjoyed this holiday.

“The annoying thing is, we sent three passports off at once which they told us to do and they would tag them together, but we got them back at different times and obviously one now hasn’t come.

Chris and Sienna

“They have been drip-feeding us, we have been asking them to sort us out. My daughter has spent the night crying her eyes out, she packed her case and everything.

"You can imagine how much we were looking forward to this, it’s been cancelled three times due to this bloody pandemic.

“We have done every rule they have said, we couldn’t do anymore but because of their incompetence they have messed it all up. If we don’t get to go on holiday, I’m claiming for all 16 of us.”

Chris with Sienna on a previous holiday in Turkey

“They have messed up and told me they have messed up. It’s been raised to different teams but nothing has been resolved.”

Chris also resorted to MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle to try and help with the situation.

The Kemp Town MP told The Argus: “The Taylors did everything asked of them when it comes to applying for their passport on time only to be treated appallingly.

The family went to Lloyd Russell-Moyle for support (Image: The Argus)

“My office is being inundated with cases about passport delays, my staff are waiting for hours on the phone only to be told they won’t even look at our requests for an update on the applications.

“The Home Office needs to act to clear this backlog and treat people with a bit of common decency, something lacking from the top down in their department.”

A spokeswoman for the Home Office added that 90% of passports have been completed within six weeks. The Argus was told that Sienna Taylor's passport will be printed locally and sent with standard delivery to their house.

However, the spokeswoman could not guarantee that it will arrive in time for their holiday this Saturday.