Safety fears shut passport office until January
A passport office will be shut until January after its building was damaged in high winds last month.
A terracotta cladding panel came free from the side of the building and fell through a skylight on the second floor, sources from the Durham office told the BBC.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which represents staff, said "shoddy workmanship" had put its members at risk.
The Home Office said customers would have to travel to other offices if they required a passport urgently.
A spokesperson said the office had to stay closed "for the safety of our staff and customers".
"We will still be providing a quality service, with contingency measures in place to ensure that people continue to receive their passports in good time."
The passport service's website showed Durham as "unavailable" for appointments.
Travellers posting on social media said they had to go to Glasgow, which is 150 miles (241km) away from Durham, to obtain an urgent passport.
The closure of the area around the office would be "lifted as soon as it is safe to do so", Durham County Council said.
Building safety manager Ted Murphy said: "The road and paths in the immediate vicinity of the building remain closed in the interests of public safety, with businesses and local residents in the wider area still able to access their properties."
The PCS union said staff had been relocated to other offices in the North East while repair work is completed.
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