A Walker family's triple-birthday celebration is in doubt as they're still waiting to receive two new passports - having applied for them way back in April.
Catherine Holt applied for passports to take sons Jack Knight and Joseph Wilson abroad for the first time. The plan is still to fly out to Mallorca on Saturday to celebrate both boys' birthdays along with that of Catherine's partner Leon Bonner - who is turning 40.
Catherine, who works in care, said that she had been appalled by the service from HM Passport Office. She said: "I applied for my sons' passports back in April. I sent them then and they didn't acknowledge having received them until May 12. We are due to fly on August 6.
Read more: Family holiday ruined by new passport rules over EU travel after Brexit
"They've told the MP's office that they'll upgrade the applications, but there's still no guarantee that's going to happen in time. It's my partner's 40th when we are away and my two sons have never been abroad. They are excited and looking forward to it and now I've had to tell them they might not be able to go.
"We should be packing and getting ready but we can't."
Joseph is turning nine on Friday, while Jack will be 14 the week after the family return from the Spanish Island, so along with Leon's 40th the plan is to have a triple celebration on holiday.
Catherine added: "I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation. The service has been absolutely appalling and it's been incredibly difficult to even speak to anyone to solve it."
She said she had previously been told that even if her application did get upgraded, she could then have to pay £73 to collect each passport. "That'd be £100-odd pounds and for something absolutely not our fault." Now, after ChronicleLive contacted HM Passport, Catherine has been told the passports are to be processed and sent by special delivery this week - but she'll believe it when she has them in her hands.
A HMPO spokesperson said: "We apologise for the delay in issuing these passports. Both applications have now been prioritised and will be processed as soon as possible."
It's understood that passport office staff are facing record demand and processing a million applications each month. HMPO said the vast majority continued to be dealt with in less than ten weeks. The passport authority said that though compensation would not be paid for cases which took longer than that - as it does not guarantee the time it will take - where members of the public have waited longer than ten weeks and need to travel in less than a fortnight, their cases will be prioritised for free.
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