A woman who is trying to home a "terrified" Ukrainian mother and daughter said it is heartbreaking more is not being done to speed up the process.

Claire Waddington, from Padiham, linked up with a mother and her 18-month-old daughter who are from the Donbas region of the war-torn country at the start of April.

Despite the initial checks going smoothly, they have now been waiting for weeks for Permission to Travel letters, meanwhile, the mother and daughter’s flat has been destroyed by Russian gunfire, forcing them to move to another part of Eastern Ukraine.

Claire said it is "heart-breaking" families are being left in the war-torn country and is confused as to the reason behind the delay.

Claire, 49, said: “We were very hopeful at the start, we had applied for the visa and got that so we thought it would be quite quick, but it hasn’t been.

“It’s really hard, every day trying to maintain a sense of hope and optimism for her.

“They are human beings, this is atrocious. It’s devastating that I can’t do anything more for her.

Lancashire Telegraph: A Ukrainian soldier stands near an apartment ruined from Russian shelling in Borodyanka, Ukraine, Wednesday, Apr. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)A Ukrainian soldier stands near an apartment ruined from Russian shelling in Borodyanka, Ukraine, Wednesday, Apr. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

“It’s heart breaking, and it feels inhumane that she and her daughter are stuck and struggling so much.”

After the Ukrainian mother applied for a passport for her daughter, the pair were granted their visas and Claire thought everything was moving at a good pace.

Claire, a social worker, and her partner then had their DBS checks conducted and a home check conducted, both of which they passed.

Since this, which had all been completed by the start of May, Claire said she has been waiting for Permission to Travel documents for the mother and daughter to allow them to get out of Ukraine to safety.

After months of war, the terrified mother, who is a teacher and involved member in her local community, has told Claire that her 18-month-old is starting to show signs of trauma.

Claire, 49, said: “The child is not eating, not sleeping, she is screaming a lot.

"Where they are now, the sirens are constantly going off. They have food, they are okay, it’s not like there is a bomb at the front door, but the child is now picking up on the fear and anxiety.

“We’ve got a traumatised child, a mum who is terrified and distraught.

“She could move somewhere else in Ukraine but with very little money and an 18-month-old that isn’t easy, and she is terrified.”

Claire has reached out to her local MP Antony Higginbotham, who said he was unable to help, and since has spoken to several Government departments and local authorities to see what is happening but is still waiting.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has been approached for comment on why Claire’s application has taken so long.