Lincolnshire family blighted by Ukrainian border issues return home

Natasha Pepper travelled with her husband Eric to rescue her mother Nina and bring her back to their Lincolnshire home

An 82-year-old Ukrainian woman fleeing the Russian invasion has finally arrived in the UK after being stuck in Poland due to visa delays.

Eric Pepper and his wife Natasha, from Lincolnshire, tried to rescue her mother Nina but she could not travel back with them and waited two weeks for a visa near the Polish border.

Returning to the couple's home in Sleaford, Mr Pepper said she feared she may "never see [her] country again".

"She's dying to return," he said.

"She says she's leaving in June."

Mrs Pepper said her mother had to adjust to a new life away from her home, near the city of Dnipro in south-central Ukraine.

"We don't know what happens tomorrow, what happens next week and maybe people don't have water and they don't have electricity."

Eric Pepper pictured with his mother-in-law Nina

The couple travelled across Europe via ferry and rail, and met Nina in Poland. The 82-year-old made the trip across the border alone on a train, said Mr Pepper.

He said he returned home while his wife stayed with her mother until she was granted a visa into the UK.

He said he was devastated by the whole process.

"She's 82, she's frail. She can't hear, she can hardly see and, moreover, she can hardly walk," he said.

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