LOST passport purposes have hit a five-year excessive, in accordance with new figures.
It prompts fears for households heading overseas on a half time period vacation this month in the course of the college break.
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In response to the Telegraph, 487 passports have been “confirmed as misplaced” whereas being delivered between January and September 2022 – the best determine since 2018.
Greater than 100 new passports have been additionally misplaced throughout the same interval when being delivered abroad.
Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse slammed the “incompetence” and stated: “With an increasing number of passports going lacking annually, it’s no surprise persons are fed up with this countless journey chaos.
“The House Workplace must step up and take decisive motion earlier than extra persons are let down and lose confidence in these providers.”
It is not the one delay that Brits are dealing with with their passports.
The Passport Workplace advises leaving as much as 10 weeks to get a brand new passport again.
Nonetheless, many have seen their purposes take for much longer than this.
Final yr, 5.39 per cent of passport purposes took longer than the suggested 10 weeks, figuring out to 409,063 passports.
And with a feared ‘spring surge’ with 1,000,000 extra passports anticipated to be processed within the first half of the yr, Brits are being warned to use now.
Director Normal of HM Passport Workplace, Abi Tierney beforehand stated that folks should not delay in the event that they know they are going to want a brand new passport.
She stated final yr: “Now that worldwide journey has resumed, we all know individuals will likely be taking a look at going away on vacation and but many individuals are leaving making use of for a passport too late.
“For those who want a new passport, we urge you to use now.”
The price to resume a passport went up final week, the primary time in 5 years.
It now prices £82.50, up from £75.50, whereas getting new passports for kids has elevated from £49 to £53.50.
Be sure you apply on-line in your passport too – doing in it particular person can price you an additional £10 per particular person.
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