LOCAL MPs are being forced to step in on "nightmare" passport processing delays which have left some people facing missing out on their holidays.

Due to Covid-related backlogs, up to a million Brits are facing problems getting passports. The Passport Office is urging people to renew passports at least 10 weeks in advance of their holiday. 

Among them is Sian Birch, from Wrexham, who is facing the prospect of having to cancel her family holiday to France if the passport for her one-year-old child isn't processed. 

"It's an absolute nightmare," she said. 

"I applied beginning of April and we are supposed to be going on holiday in two weeks. But that won’t be happening if it doesn’t come in time. I can’t change my holiday either so that’ll just be everything lost."

READ MORE: Research suggests passport delays could cost £1.1 billion in cancelled summer trips

She added: "It’s just so stressful - so close to going away and thinking you may lose your holiday you’ve saved for. And this is a holiday we were meant to go on in 2020 which was cancelled due to the pandemic.

"The numbers you call at the passport office are like a call centre - so they can’t tell you much they just type it into the system, reassure you and then nothing seems to happen.

"Mine and my husband's passport came back in a few weeks but it’s been eight weeks now for my son's and there seems to be no way to speak to anyone who can actually tell you exactly what’s happening with it."

One Flintshire woman spent hours in a queue outside the Passport Office in Liverpool. 

"Twice we were forced to go early in the morning to wait there in the cold," she said.

"It was horrendous."

The Leader:

A Deeside woman said she is due to get married in a couple of weeks and has been waiting since March for her son's passport.

"I am getting so stressed - it's not acceptable," she said. 

Rob Roberts, MP for Delyn, said: "The reason for the problems is that a certain number of passport applications (renewal and new) are made in an average year. The problem being because of Covid, people who would ordinarily have renewed their passports in 2020 and 2021 didn’t do so, because they couldn’t travel anywhere.

"Now with travel open again, and all those people are trying to renew their passports as well as everyone else who would be doing it in 2022 anyway."

READ MORE: MPs blame passport ‘chaos’ for nine-hour phone waits and missed family events

Mr Roberts said this has left the passport office "swamped" with triple the amount of work than normal.

"Now, that’s not a defence as they should absolutely have seen it coming, but that’s the explanation as to why it’s happening," he said.

Mr Roberts is urging those less than two weeks away from travelling to contact your MP as they can escalate the process and ensure that things are processed.

He said: "On some occasions (three times over the last week), it went down to the wire with the individual collecting their passport from Liverpool Passport Office the day before they were due to travel.

"It’s not ideal, but the solution at the moment until the backlog is cleared is to contact your MP to escalate the application, but only if you are within two weeks of your travel date.

"Email rob.roberts.mp@parliament.uk if you’re in Delyn and tamim@parliament.uk in Alyn & Deeside. Include your full names, dates of birth, addresses and the application number which will start with PEX then numbers."

The Home Office has been approached for further comment on the matter.