PEOPLE go on holiday to get away from the strains of every day life.

They do not need the kind of additional stress caused by delays over the processing of passports.

“I am sorry and the government is sorry,”

Home Secretary Theresa May has told the House of Commons, and we do not doubt that she regrets the shambles which has unfolded on her watch.

But this does seem to be a case of incompetence and a failure to heed the warnings of a widely anticipated increase in demand.

Today, on Page 2, we highlight the case of Daniel and Jessica Riley, of Newton Aycliffe, who are anxiously waiting to find out whether their dream honeymoon to Italy can go ahead next Tuesday.

Having been told to allow three weeks for Daniel’s passport to be processed, they have now been waiting nearly seven weeks.

It is touch and go whether they will be allowed to board the plane for Daniel’s first ever flight.

This is a honeymoon paid for out of wedding day donations from loved ones, topped up by the County Durham couple’s own hard-earned savings.

It is just one example of the heartache being suffered by hundreds of thousands of people around the country.

So shouldn’t the Home Secretary back up her apology with some kind of compensation for those who lose out on trips abroad?

The Prime Minister has promised that the most urgent cases will be fast-tracked “at no extra cost”. But what about those who are beyond being fast-tracked?

Given that the Passport Office is reported to be sitting on a surplus of £73m, it cannot be fair that travellers will have to bear the cost of the systematic failure of a government department.