Ukrainian border delay due to visa problems for Lincolnshire family

Eric Pepper pictured with his mother-in-law Nina

A Lincolnshire couple who travelled to Poland to pick up a Ukrainian relative fleeing the Russian invasion say visa delays have left them in limbo.

Eric Pepper and wife Natasha, from Spalding, collected her 82-year-old mother Nina, but now face a two-week wait for a visa appointment.

He described the situation at the UK visa application centre in Rzeszow, eastern Poland, as chaotic.

The Home Office said it was increasing capacity to meet demand.

Mr Pepper said his mother-in-law, who lives near the city of Dnipro in south-central Ukraine, had been told that it would be a walk-in appointment.

"And that's what we understood," he said.

Mr Pepper described the situation at the visa office in Rzeszow as "absolute mayhem"

"But when we arrived at the visa office it was absolute mayhem.

"The police were there trying to control the crowds - it was just traumatic," he said, adding: "This is what Britain does to people who should legitimately be coming to us".

According to the government, tens of thousands of people had applied following the launch of its Ukraine family scheme visa allowing people to join an immediate or extended family member in the UK.

"We are increasing our capacity to meet this demand and will keep it under continuous review and increase further if needed," a spokesperson said.

War in Ukraine: More coverage

• LIVE: Latest updates from on the ground

• OCCUPIED CITY: 'We are not co-operating'

• EXPLAINED: Why Putin has invaded Ukraine?

• IN DEPTH: Full coverage of the conflict

However, Mr Pepper said: "I think they definitely got the numbers wrong, and they just haven't got enough manpower," adding that the earliest available appointment was 24 March.

"We will have to stay here, we can't leave mother on her own [and] I can't put her on to a Polish family - that would be unfair because there are so many refugees coming over that need the places," he said.

Mr Pepper, who runs his own business with his wife, said they had travelled to Poland with a car full of donations, and were now left facing two weeks in a hotel in just "the clothes we stand up in".

Talking about the visa process, Mr Pepper said he appreciated the need for security checks, but added: "Do you think an 82-year-woman, who can hardly walk, is a Kremlin agent?"

Anyone needing to book at Rzeszow is being asked to do so online - rather than attempt a walk-in appointment.