Brit families hoping to get away on holiday this winter could be set for disappointment due to delays with the Passport Office’s courier.
With freezing temperatures predicted for the UK during December, many people may fancy a trip abroad over the festive period but they would be well advised to check their passports first.
Anyone needing a new passport has already been warned that they face a wait to have their document processed, but now they have been told they face delays in the passport also being sent to them.
Following the lockdown, people have been told they may have to wait up to 10 weeks for their new documents to be processed and now the courier service has been swamped.
There have been many complaints about TNT, who have a £77 million, three year contract to deliver passports, over the delays and a failure to get a response from customer service.
People have even reportedly travelled from passport depot to depot in a bid to find their documents.
And a petition has now been set up calling for an investigation into the problems people are having with TNT.
It states: “In recent months thousands of us have experienced significant delays in getting our passports delivered.
"Many have had to cancel their travel plans as a result and lost out on hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Unlike many other couriers, TNT do not seem to provide real time tracking, nor can you provide delivery instructions.
"People have experienced numerous failed delivery attempts, others have had their delivery date continuously pushed back with no end in sight.
"Some have even had their passport or application supporting documents lost by TNT."
It has called for an explanation about the selection process for TNT and what criteria was used.
TNT told The Times that the delay was due to a surge in applications since the end of the lockdown.
"We are taking additional steps to provide timely delivery by adding additional resources to the operations. We apologise for any inconvenience caused,” it added.
