Caller stranded with little girl in India told to "sort herself out" by Foreign Office

By Fiona Jones

This caller told the horrendous story of her epic journey back home after being stranded in India with her little girl - the Foreign Office gave her no help and it was the German embassy that got them home safely.

Dawn from Leamington Spa was in Jaisalmer, India with her six year old girl when the lockdown began and she had a "crazy journey" of four days to New Delhi.

She said foreigners were being looked at in a different way due to the pandemic: "We were spat at, we were sprayed with sanitiser. It was absolutely horrific."

When she did manage to get accommodation on the journey for her and her daughter they were locked in their room by the guesthouse owners.

She also saw people who walked on the street being beaten with sticks as punishment, which she shielded from her daughter.

When she arrived in Delhi she felt she could breathe "for the first time in four days" and she was trying "desperately" to contact the British Embassy.

The caller alleged at one point the Foreign Office hung up on her. Picture: PA

After finally getting hold of the Foreign Office, she said, "I was told you will have to sort yourself out."

She alleged she was even hung up on by the Foreign Office as a "mother with a small child desperately trying to get home."

She knew she wouldn't get any help, much like a group of Britons who called into LBC and told Tom they were having to sleep on the streets as British officials would not help them.

Dawn ended up calling the German embassy, who were evacuating German nationals from India, and after telling them her story she was able to get herself, her daughter and two other British nationals home.

The Foreign Office have since outlined measures to get stranded Brits home including:

- partnership between the government and commercial airlines to fly home stranded British travellers

- government chartered flights to get people home from priority countries this weekend and next week

- up to £75 million of government funding pledged to bring UK travellers back home.