Chef Andrew Sharp has told of his ordeal in a Thailand detention centre.

He was forced to spend three weeks in the Bangkok centre — living in a room with up to 78 others — after being caught up in the
summer of chaos caused by British Passport Office delays.

Mr Sharp 45, was classed as an “overstayer” in Thailand because his passport, which he had sent off for renewal, was delayed for almost three months.

The application became one of thousands lodged in a huge backlog at passport offices across the UK and it was many weeks later that he finally received it. By then he had been hauled before a court hearing in Bangkok, fined 5,000 Baht (about £95) and told he had to stay in the detention centre.

Now he is back home in Lindley and hasn’t lost his love of travelling, despite the appalling conditions he faced in the centre.

Mr Sharp, who left the UK to go travelling back in 2008, has worked in Australia and in Thailand.

He has been to the Far Eastern country many times, but fell foul of the passport administration fiasco this year.

He said: “I knew my passport was full because of all the travelling I had done, so I sent off for a new one while I was in Thailand in March, fully expecting it to be returned to me there within a couple of weeks.

“When it didn’t come back before the time my visitor visa expired in June, I decided to go to the authorities and tell them what had happened.

“They at first said I could not leave the country, but then took me to court, imposed the fine and said I had to go to the Immigration Detention Centre.

“It wasn’t a jail, but we were locked in the centre for days at a time and allowed out into a compound for fresh air and exercise for two only two hours every three days.

“We hardly saw any guards, but no-one wanted to get out because we feared what could happen.

“The food was awful. It was a portion of rice and awful, watery chicken stock each day, with some unidentifiable vegetables thrown in.

“There were a lot of people in the centre and, at one point, there were 78 of us in one room, sleeping on the floor, or trying to sleep.

“It was difficult to get messages out to friends, but I eventually managed to find out that my passport had come through and after three weeks in the centre I was able to go home on a flight paid for by friends at the end of August.

“It has been a nightmare, but I hope to go travelling again soon”

A spokesman for HMPO said: “It is not unusual during peak periods for HMPO to operate with high numbers of applications in the
system at any one time, with this year seeing the highest levels for 12 years”.