A KENDAL granddad has hit out at the ‘indifferent bureaucracy’ which has left him unable to see his granddaughter in the first six weeks of her life.
 

Bill Angus’ daughter Jane is in the south of France and cannot get to England until her new baby Freya gets a passport.
 

The family have now been waiting more than six weeks – longer than the three to six week period stated by the embassy.
 

Jane has lived in Menton, France, for 10 years but Bill says the home she shares with her husband Elliott is too small for him to visit.
 

“It’s very stressful from a grandparent’s point of view,” said Bill.
 

“Jane’s perfectly capable of looking after herself and the baby but things can go wrong in those early days and you’ve got to have your family close by.

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“I’m angry because we can’t enjoy the first few weeks of the baby’s life and we can’t be on hand to reduce the stress on our daughter.”
 

Bill faced a similar situation when Jane was born and they visited his wife Eileen’s family in Australia.
 

“We put her on my wife’s passport which was perfectly convenient.
 

“It used to be possible as well to 'fast-track' an application by going in person to the nearest consulate or embassy - not any more.
 

“All overseas applications now must be handled by a central office in the UK.
 

“It’s mystifying why it has been so difficult and why the service for getting passports has deteriorated so much.”