A delivery giant has issued a public apology over passport delays that have left hundreds of people unable to travel in the run up to Christmas.
TNT-owner FedEx, which distributes new passports on behalf of the UK Home Office, blamed the delays on an increase in passport applications as Covid-19 restrictions continue to ease.
Some customers say their arrival dates have been delayed multiple times, while others have been waiting for months – instead of the standard two days.
Passports have also been lost.
Linda Thompson applied for her passport online. She said her experience was seamless - until it was dispatched.
"After checking the tracking on TNT, there was a photo of a front door which to my horror was not mine. There was no signature either. I'm so anxious," she said.
"I am horrified to see that such sensitive documents can be handled in this way. The document needed to be signed for and delivered to the correct address. No wonder there is so much fraud."
Unable to get through, Linda has had to fill out a complaints form online, which could take weeks to investigate.
A FedEx spokesperson said: "We fully understand the importance of these shipments to our customers and are taking additional steps to provide timely delivery by adding additional resources to the operations in the UK.
"We apologise for any inconvenience caused."
Has your passport been delayed? Get in touch: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
Due to Covid backlogs, passports are already taking up to 10 weeks to process, the Passport Office (HMPO) has warned.
But delays delivering the documents are adding weeks on top of this, according to social media complaints.
One person tweeted: "I have been waiting since august so I would say the slight delay is probably 12 weeks? Although with all due respect it’s not the passport office but #tnt #fedex who have failed to deliver!"
Another said: "Paid nearly £300 for two urgent Fast Track passports with a guaranteed 7-day turnaround. 20 days later and nothing - Can't get through to TNT and @HM_Passport seems to have washed their hands of it. Really distressed."
An online petition has been started demanding an investigation into HMPO's £77m three-year contract with TNT, signed in 2019.
It states that thousands have experienced "significant delays" in getting their passports delivered in recent months, and many have cancelled travel plans as a result.
"Unlike many other couriers, TNT do not seem to provide real time tracking, nor can you provide delivery instructions," the petition says.
"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 added that it was "nearly impossible" to get information from TNT and the Passport Office was seemingly uninterested in helping.
A FedEx spokesman said: "This has resulted in a significant increase in the items to be delivered through our dedicated HMPO network.”
A HMPO spokeswoman added: "We are aware of some additional reported issues from customers related to missed deliveries by our delivery partners, and are working closely with our partners to establish the root of this issue."
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