Concern as West Sussex mother and daughter are stranded in Peru

A West Sussex mother and daughter who went on holiday to Peru are pleading for help to get them back to England.
Rachel and Mathilda in a bar in CuscoRachel and Mathilda in a bar in Cusco
Rachel and Mathilda in a bar in Cusco

Mum Rachel Billsberry-Grass went to visit her daughter Mathilda who was travelling the region between her A Levels and before heading to university.

Her mother had left the creature comforts of West Sussex behind to travel to Peru with the hope of experiencing world heritage sites like the Inca Trails and Macchu Picchu.

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Rachel said: "Originally I was due back on this coming Sunday (March 22) and my daughter the following week then we realised that things were going wrong so we quickly booked flights.

Mathilda with the family she has been staying with since JanuaryMathilda with the family she has been staying with since January
Mathilda with the family she has been staying with since January

"The earlier was for yesterday morning (Wednesday, March 18) but everything was shut down. We are now stuck here.

"We are very comfortable. We've got a nice apartment and we have got shopping so from that point of view we are fine. There are people with worse situations."

Rachel said there was one incident where the hotel manager said she would not be allowed to leave to get food supplies. After some discussion she was eventually told should could leave the building but not her and her daughter together.

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"We are find from that point of view. We are not starving and we have somewhere nice to stay. It's just frustrating and worrying because the foreign office and Dominic Raab has been reluctant to promise any support for Britons who have been stranded overseas.

Mathilda in Pisac in the Sacred Valley near CuscoMathilda in Pisac in the Sacred Valley near Cusco
Mathilda in Pisac in the Sacred Valley near Cusco

"He has been careful about what has been said."

A petition has been set up by fellow Brits who have found themselves in the same situation.

Nineteen-year-old Mathilda, who has been out of the country for the past two months, said: "The response to the petition has been really amazing. In the morning we has 11,000 signatures, now it's like 40,000."

She added: "We are holding up. We've just been trying to get people to sign the petition and to email their local member or parliament."

She said her and her mum are 'trying to get out once a day' but that has proven difficult with travelling restrictions.

You can sign the petition here.