Thousands of UK holidaymakers could have find their trips at risk, after a leaked memo revealed that passport delays could get even worse this summer.
The private memo shares how the Passport Agency's "creaking" IT systems are struggling to cope with the current 500,000 passport backlog and are "not fit for purpose", reports the Mirror.
READ MORE - France weather warning for UK holidaymakers as storms to batter 76 areas
Pre-pandemic, the estimated waiting time was five weeks for a new passport, but now many Brits have reported waiting more than ten weeks for their passports, with some having to cancel their holiday as a result.
The Times obtained the leaked messages which say that it is only the "beginning of a lengthy scenario."
It comes as the number of Brits travelling abroad edges closer to pre-Covid levels.
An estimated 4.5 million Brits saw their passport run out during the pandemic and many waited until most restrictions had been lifted to renew, causing an unprecedented demand on the Passport Office.
Last week Glasgow Live shared images of lengthy queues outside the Passport Office in Cowcaddens as families raised to renew their passports ahead of planned holidays.
One desperate applicant said: "We travelled from Glasgow to Durham so that my boyfriend could get his passport before going to Seville.
"It was an absolute shambles. A guy behind me drove five hours in order to get his passport. It shouldn't be necessary."
