Chaos at Heathrow *

The Home Office has finally agreed that Heathrow Airport queues last Friday (3 September) were “unacceptable”, some people waiting five hours to pass through Border Control.

The E-gates cannot be used by under-12s, families with young children directed to the few staffed desks.  Terminal 5 was the worst affected with the airport saying that the desks were understaffed, Border Control agreeing it did have absentee problems due to Covid.

One holidaymaker, Sonny Singh, told Sky News that he saw a pregnant woman pass out while in the queue on Friday night. “There were thousands of families queuing and just two people in booths up front checking documents,” he claimed. “Children were screaming and crying.”

A Home Office spokesman admitted the problem: “Border Force is rapidly reviewing its rosters and capacity and flexibly deploying our staff across the airport to improve waiting times. We are working very closely with Heathrow Airport and its airlines and we are all committed to making sure all passengers can have a safe and hassle-free journey.”  

Tory MPs have joined a growing backlash against the border chaos overseen by Home Secretary Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, while industry experts warn the huge queues are damaging Britain's reputation as a hub for global travel.

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OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum

Barry Graham, Washington, DC

I guess I was lucky. There wasn't any queue when I arrived last month in Terminal 3.