A Kent couple whose son is stranded in Australia due to coronavirus are appealing to the government to step up actions to bring him home.

Liam Minnock, 29, was due to fly home to Heathrow from Sydney, via Singapore, today after a two week holiday with friends.

But with the closure of Singapore borders, his flight with Singapore Airlines was cancelled on Wednesday.

Together with his parents Shaun and Jan Minnock from Walmer, he's since has been working tirelessly to find an affordable, alternative option back, but to no avail.

The family are now calling on the government to step up their support for UK nationals abroad.

Liam, who remains in an Airbnb in Bondi Beach - at a cost of £50 a night - said: "The government advice is to come home immediately.

"But with nearly all of the countries that you would normally transit through closing their borders and airlines like Qatar selling flights for £1,600 at the cheapest, this has made it almost impossible.

"Our insurance companies and the airlines have basically not communicated anything to us throughout this whole process.

"And that with the government not giving clear advice and not doing anything to help, it's made us feel very trapped out here."

Liam, a broadcast engineer who was brought up in Deal but now lives in Croydon, has been communicating with Vicki Treadell, the British High Commissioner to Australia, who is looking into cases.

The country is said to be working with airlines, airports and the government to keep flight routes open and reopen some that have closed.

They say they have also opened a register of British nationals hoping to return to the UK and are supporting British nationals via phone calls, walk-in appointments, and updating social media pages.

In the mean time, a petition has been launched calling on the foreign secretary Dominic Raab to help organise repatriation flights for British citizens stranded in Australia.

It has so far attracted more than 15,000 signatures and the family are asking others to add their name.

Dad Shaun Minnock said: "We just want him home. It's distressing for everyone.

"The worry of him being out there and not knowing when he's going to get home.

"And with what we're reading on the news with the number of cases going up. It's going to really hit Australia and escalate over there.

'It's as if everything has just shut down. The government need to step in'

"It's the lack of information. The insurance office and the agent's office have closed. We've emailed them explaining the situation and we've received nothing - not even an acknowledgement.

"It's as if everything has just shut down. The government need to step in."

Mrs Minnock added: "They're managing to get people home from Peru and Costa Rica, you think they'd be able to help those in Australia.

"The longer he's in Australia, it's dwindling his funds to be able to get back.

"But we've seen a story where a woman paid for another flight to come home which was also cancelled and she was left with nothing."

Liam is accompanied by two friends, Tom Moon, 31, from Truro in Cornwall and Ryan Cox, 26, from Yate in Bristol.

The trip was booked in November and they say there was no advice on travel from the government at the time of leaving.

Liam has also contacted Deal and Dover MP Natalie Elphicke who has raised his case with Foreign Commonwealth Office.

Her office says it has also provided contact details for the British High Commissioner to Australia.

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