Wales' only passport office closes after water leak

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 5 Nov, 16:22 · Archive

Wales' only passport office in Newport has closed temporarily due to a water leak, forcing customers to travel to other offices.

Wales' only passport office in Newport has temporarily closed following a water leak in the building. The public counter shut on 4 November, and customers with booked appointments are being contacted to rebook at other locations. The nearest alternative passport office is in London, 140 miles away.

The Home Office confirmed that Premium and Fast Track appointments have been affected and that customers should rebook at other UK offices. Standard passport applications are not affected by the closure. A customer who arrived at the office on Monday reported being turned away and told of a 'pipe burst and a big flood'.

There is disagreement over the closure duration. The South Wales Argus reports the Home Office says the office will reopen on 9 November. WalesOnline quotes a customer saying staff told him the closure could last 'a few weeks'. Customers affected must withdraw their applications, await refunds, and rebook appointments at offices in London, Peterborough, Liverpool, Durham, Glasgow, or Belfast.

How it is being reported

• Wales' only passport office closes after leak cancels appointmentsNewport Passport Office has temporarily closed after a water leak, cancelling appointments. Customers can rebook elsewhere.South Wales Argus · 5 Nov, 10:58
• Wales' only passport office to shut for weeks leaving customers facing long journeysWith the Newport office closed, the nearest passport equivalent is 140 miles away on LondonWalesOnline · 4 Nov, 13:09

In this story: Newport · Wales · London · Home Office · UK

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log