A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl who requires medication for an illness that stops her blood from clotting is stuck in Poland with her mum after fleeing Ukraine and “nobody is putting their neck on the line to help them”, a Ceredigion businessman tells Chris Betteley.

The businessman, who Cambrian News is not naming for now, said that the Home Office is “dragging its heels” on signing off on bringing the seven-year-old and her mum to Llanrhystud, where accommodation is already in place to house them.

He said that he made contact with the mum and daughter last month, and they were evacuated out of Ukraine to Poland three weeks ago. Since then, however, the businessman has been “banging his head against the wall”, trying to the visas signed off and the mum and the young girl to safety.

“Everything is in place for them here,” he said. “We have paid for medication and accommodation in Warsaw where they have been for three weeks. However, they have one more week maximum before they could be out on the street and the Home Office is dragging its heels and nobody is putting their neck on their line to help us.”

He has had help from Ceredigion MP Ben Lake who contacted the Home Office and was “extremely supportive”.

“He’s as frustrated as I am,” the man said. “Everything seems to be falling on deaf ears. We have flights ready to bring them over but we seem to be banging our heads against the wall. This young girl has lost her dad and both grandparents in the war, and her and her mum have nothing.

“They need this help now.”

The Home Office had not responded to comment at the time of going to press.