A SOUTHAMPTON man and his pregnant wife have said they have “lost everything” after safely arriving in the UK following their escape from Ukraine.

Cruise liner captain Jon Bryant arrived in the country around 5 days ago now after he was successful in getting a VISA for his seven month pregnant wife.

Having escaped the invasion of Ukraine through a border crossing into Poland, Jon told the Echo he was left waiting for days to get permission to travel to the UK.

Now staying at a family friend’s house in Poland, the pair have been left to reflect on their ordeal which they say has left them with a “post traumatic disorder”.

With the birth of their son expected in the coming weeks, Jon said they are recovering from their journey, not knowing when they will be able to return home.

He said: “We’ve got nothing left. Though I’m British I’m still a refugee from Ukraine. Emotionally, I think we’re very strongly connected to the Ukraine.

“Our home is there, at the moment it is still secure. We’ve got friends and family all around us in the Ukraine who we’re worried about who are still in danger.

“The reality is that we might not be able to go back to our place for a very long time. We have to set up a temporary life here in the UK.

“We’d built a nursery and bought all the things for the birth of our son and we’re going to have to start all that again too.”

Having crossed the border of Ukraine with a support dog, the pair have also been saddened to learn that he is no requirement to quarantine for up to four months.

This came after waiting weeks for the UK Home Office to grant permission for Jon’s wife to come into the country and now he is calling for something to be done to help people escaping the war.

“They want to do a quarantine, I would be happy with two months but not four. It’s £500 a week. It’s completely unacceptable in these circumstances.

“We’re not importing, we’re escaping. There’s a long term problem to try and deal with.

“There’s a lot of red tape that is completely, I would say, inappropriate right now. I’m pretty angry that it took me a week and a half to two weeks for us to get the wheels moving to get the VISA in the first place.

“Something has got to change right now because this crisis is massive, we’re not talking about a small country with a few people. We’re talking about the second largest country in Europe with millions of people who have to escape.

“If we stop the ability for people, particularly loved ones, spouses, if we put that red tape as a barrier, people who have disabilities or a guide dog for example, they will remain out. Their home nation is not welcoming them in a way I think is appropriate.”

An online fundraising page has now been set up to help the pair pay for the costs to quarantine the dog and Jon is now also hoping to get a longer term VISA for his wife to stay in the country.

The online fundraising page for Jon and his wife can be found here.