A mum whose £820 holiday was cancelled after being refused entry at the gates has issued an urgent warning to fellow travellers. Donna Fairclough, who runs a pub, had been looking forward to jetting off to Maltafrom Manchester Airport with her fiancé Gary Broadley on January 3.

But when Donna, 42, and Gary, 55, reached the airport, they were stopped by easyJet staff because Donna's passport had a tear in it. The damage extended along roughly half of the photo page.

Donna admits she hadn't realised the rip had become as severe as it actually was, reports the Manchester Evening News. She explained: "I don't actually know [when it ripped]. We went to Tenerife last year and everything was fine. The rip wasn't as bad as it looks in the photo. At the time, it was a tiny rip above the picture."

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Given how small the tear initially appeared, Donna was stunned when easyJet refused to allow her to board at Manchester Airport.

She recalled: "We got to Manchester Airport and printed off our labels for our bags. We walked round to the baggage check-in desk and she asked for our passports and boarding passes. I gave them mine and she said 'one second'."

Donna continued: "She came back and told me I couldn't fly because my passport was damaged. I was gobsmacked and heartbroken. It was just a little rip above the picture. I don't know how the rip got bigger. I might have caught it.

"The rip was initially about a quarter-of-an-inch. I was excited to go away. It was heartbreaking because we lost out on a holiday because of a rip. I said to my partner, you can still see my face and my passport number and it didn't affect any of that. That's what I couldn't understand."

After the incident, the couple have claimed that easyJet has refused to refund them because the tear has been classified as accidental damage.

The UK Government website makes clear that a ripped passport will be deemed damaged, meaning travellers may be prevented from flying and should arrange a replacement immediately.

The guidance states: "If your passport is damaged you must replace it. You may not be able to travel with it. HM Passport Office will consider your passport damaged if [...] any of the pages are ripped, cut or missing."

Donna has now obtained a replacement passport, but has issued a warning to others to inspect their travel documents carefully to prevent finding themselves in the same situation.

She urged: "I would tell people to thoroughly check through. Even if it's a little rip or a little crease. Anything they might think might stop you from flying. Some people might think it's fine but it's obviously not as I'm one of the people it's happened to."

Responding to the incident, an easyJet spokesperson commented: "We're sorry to hear that Ms Fairclough was not able to go on her holiday due to her passport being damaged, and we understand how disappointing this must have been.

"Our airline works closely with the authorities and complies with their guidance to ensure the safety and security of customers and crew, and this means we can't allow anyone to travel if their documentation is damaged.

"As soon as Ms Fairclough reached out to us, we advised on how she could obtain a new passport. We have been back in touch to offer any further support, and we hope we can take her on holiday soon."