A Glasgow grandmother was left in “terrible condition” after being detained at a Spanish airport for more than 32 hours.
Sharon Dempsey flew to Alicante with her brother on Saturday morning, but lost her passport somewhere between taking off from Glasgow and landing in Spain.
The 66-year-old grandmother from Drumchapel was barred from entering the country by Spanish police and held in a detention center all night while her family frantically tried to force her to fly home.
Sharon’s daughter Adele Dempsey was forced to contact the British embassy and consulate to resolve the issue, but faced major problems due to language barriers and weekend closures.
She told Glasgow Live: “My mother was kept in a cell-like detention center at the airport and was not given anything to eat or drink. There were two cold rolls and water and that’s it.
“I know the rules are the rules, but she was treated like a criminal – not just someone who accidentally lost her passport.
“She knows for sure that she had it when she boarded the plane, because she opened it in case it needed to be checked. He was not checked on the plane, so she put it back in her bag, which was then held under the seat in front of her.
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“It wasn’t until she got on the bus to the airport that she realized she wasn’t there. She tried to return the bus to pick it up, but the staff was not helpful and said that the cleaners could often throw out their passports if they were left on the flight.
“She panicked and explained what had happened to them in Spanish, but the passport could not be found.
“My uncle was waiting on the other side of the passport control, and in the end we told him to just go to the hotel and wait. My mother was kept there one night.
“She was obviously really stressed, but she wasn’t even allowed to drink a cigarette or give her hot food.
Adele spoke with the consulate, which advised her to book a flight back to Glasgow for Sharon after she was provided with emergency documents provided by them.
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However, Sharon was prevented from boarding the EasyJet flight at home because airport police said she did not have the correct document and moved her to the detention center, where she stayed overnight.
Officials told the Glasgow mother that due to changes in travel rules after Brexit, they could no longer allow entry into Spain without a physical passport, which must be stamped.
Adele added: “She was likely to have to wait there until Wednesday, as it takes two days to process emergency travel documents and the embassy in Alicante is closed over the weekend.
“Fortunately, after almost a whole day of not being able to catch her, she finally managed to board a flight to London. She was taken hand in hand by a police escort on the plane and returned the same way.
“She was in a terrible state. She said she didn’t even wash her face and felt so dirty, and she was left in tears outside Gatwick with another long wait to return to Glasgow.
The Ministry of the Interior confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Community and Development has helped a woman who lost her passport on her outgoing flight to Spain and worked with the border forces with the Spanish authorities to help facilitate her return. in the United Kingdom.
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