Passport error ages traveller

A YOUNG man's relief when his passport arrived in time for his holiday disappeared when he opened it to find a picture of a middle-aged man inside.

John Chater, 26, of West Monkseaton, Tyne and Wear, was overjoyed when the envelope dropped on his doormat after a three-month wait. But instead of his own face staring out at him the passport showed a bespectacled man at least twice his age.

With only days to go before his flight to Ibiza this weekend, Mr Chater immediately contacted his MP, Alan Campbell, who took up his case. Mr Campbell contacted the Passport Agency and within an hour the mistake was rectified and a new passport being dispatched.

Mr Chater, a baker, said: "When the passport arrived I was over the moon until I opened it and saw the picture. I was horrified.

"I was worried about the passport chaos in general and could not believe that when I finally got mine it had the wrong picture in.

"Thankfully Mr Campbell was able to help and I now have the correct one which arrived this morning."

A spokesman for the Passport Agency said: "The Passport Office has issued over three million passports this year so the odd mistake is inevitable but we do apologise to the person concerned."