An 11-year-old boy is currently trapped in France and unable to travel home to see his mum, due to coronavirus travel rules.
Dean Lemire had been staying at his father's in France for Christmas, but has remained in the country for longer than planned.
He was due to head home this week on the Eurostar, but wasn't allowed to board the train because his father Eric had not bought a quarantine test kit because he hadn't planned on staying in the UK after accompanying him home.
Currently anyone coming into the country needs to show proof they have bought the kit so that they can return a positive Covid-19 test on their second and eighth day in quarantine at an address they have provided to authorities.
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Mr Lemire had planned to hand his son over to a relative at the Kent border and so didn't think he required a kit, which cost £210 ($296) each.
There was the possibility the boy's mum, Clair Chetwood, might lie and say his father would be isolating at her house, but the risk of being caught could've led to a jail term of up to 10 years for providing a false address, as well as a £2,000 ($2,800) fine for not returning the test.
Instead, the family are £750 ($1,050) down after buying the tests for the boy and a shuttle ticket for Eric Lemire's car to travel on the Eurostar.
Chetwood said: "We did everything that was required, and followed the guidance to the letter.
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"They both arrived at the border with negative tests which have now expired. They will need to do further tests before attempting to travel again."
Chetwood's local MP for Telford, Lucy Allan, is working with the family to try and provide a safe return for Dean and 'navigate the restrictions and secure the safe return of Dean to the UK'.
Allen added: "It is understandably a very worrying time for them.
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"The rules are complex and testing arrangements are expensive making it difficult for people to comply."
However, with the UK still in lockdown despite the wide roll-out of the vaccine, the Home Office have stuck to their guns and insisted the regulations 'are clear'.
They said in a statement: "All travellers arriving in the UK must take a Covid-19 test and get a negative result during the three days before travel into the UK.
"Every single check prevents the spread of coronavirus.
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"If an individual feels they are facing a set of circumstances which is not covered by our published guidance, they can get in touch with the customer feedback team who will aim to offer further clarity on their situation."
Unfortunately for the family, it's hard to see a way out of this beyond further Covid-19 quarantine kits and another shuttle ticket.
Featured Image Credit: Credit: Cascade NewsTopics: UK News, Coronavirus