Passport processing delays must be resolved urgently, Which? says

"The government has warned for months of an expected surge in passport applications, so it's unforgivable that thousands of holidays are at risk due to a lack of preparation. People are facing long processing delays and passports missing in the post while the fast track service, which should act as an emergency back up, is now so busy the website has repeatedly failed.

"Applying for a passport as early as possible is the only sensible advice to give but that will only go so far - this situation must be resolved urgently. It's vital that the government can commit to consistently turning around passports in the published timeframes, and better communicate and fix problems with customers who face problems.

"An immediate first step must be to get the fast track service working online, as this is used for all sorts of travel emergencies and could prevent people from attending births, funerals and other important events."