Irish people stranded in Britain have reported long delays trying to get through to the emergency repatriation helpline set up by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The department has appealed for people to be patient, as the helpline answered more than 500 calls on Monday.
Two flights, scheduled to leave for Dublin from London this evening, have been arranged by the department to repatriate two categories of people stranded by the recently-implemented travel ban.
Hospital Report
Only Irish citizens who are normally resident in Ireland and international Irish-bound passengers who are transiting through Great Britain are eligible for the repatriation flights and ferries.
The service does not provide for Irish people living in Britain who were planning short trips back for Christmas.
Cormac Devery spoke to the Irish Times while en route to Pembroke Port in Wales without any assurance he would be allowed to board the ferry to Rosslare in the afternoon.
“I have been trying to ring the helpline . . . They put you on hold for 40 minutes and then it disconnects,” he said.
“There cannot be an awful lot of people coming over on the ferry, so surely they could ring us to let us know the situation,” he said.
A spokesman for Irish Ferries said the company is following Department of Transport advice and further information is available for passengers on the Irish Ferries website.
Irish Ferries services are continuing as normal for freight and freight drivers but the operator has been instructed not to accept any passengers travelling to Ireland. People hoping to be repatriated must contact the Irish Embassy or the emergency helpline, the company instructs.
‘No choice’
Mr Devery had travelled to Britain with his teenage son on Sunday to collect the last of his furniture from his London home, which has been put up for sale. He said he had no option but to collect his belongings before Christmas.
“We really had no choice but to come over . . . Obviously now the whole family is upset, so we are really hoping to get back in time for Christmas,” he said.
He said he is, perhaps, one of the lucky people that would at least have a roof over his head if he does not get home on Tuesday. However, with his home completely cleared out, Mr Devery and his teenage son would not have a mattress between them.
“I just think the Government should make contact . . . Our situation could get a lot worse if we are not allowed on this ferry this afternoon,” he said.
One man, who travelled to London on Monday for an essential medical appointment, said he is awaiting confirmation from the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding a seat on one of two flights to Dublin this evening.
The man, who did not want to be named due to a personal medical condition, said he could not get through to the emergency helpline provided by the department. He said he eventually managed to register through the Irish consulate.
“I phoned the Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday morning . . . I was ringing the emergency number even when the nurses were calling me into the theatre and I was ringing them again when I came back around. All the time it was engaged,” he said.
The man received a text message at 3am today explaining two flights are due to leave London for Dublin this evening. He said he sent on his details and is awaiting confirmation of a place on board.
“I am a little different in that I jumped into the fire despite it all. I was willing to sacrifice Christmas with my family because I was overdue my treatment. It was a decision I made, but it has been very very stressful,” he said.
Another woman, named Trish, who travelled to Britain on December 12th to bring her mother to medical appointments claimed she had called the emergency helpline close to 100 times before getting through to an operator who told her to send an email.
She said she is booked onto a ferry to return to Ireland on Wednesday but has yet to hear from the department if she will be allowed to board.
Billy Stamp, from Wexford, is anxiously waiting to hear if his wife Margaret has gotten a seat on one of the repatriation flights this evening.
Ironically, he said the emergency Aer Lingus flight at 8.45pm was her original ticket home before all flights were cancelled. After multiple attempts to reach the department, she finally got a text early this morning providing details of the repatriation flights.
For now it is a “waiting game” to see if she can return home to their six-year-old daughter following an essential work trip.
