EastEnders star Tracy-Ann Oberman has revealed she was unable to board a flight to Spain after an EU passport rule left her grounded, despite her passport showing an expiry date in 2027.

Celebrity airport shock over passport issue

Former EastEnders actor Tracy-Ann Oberman says Ryanair airline staff refused to let her travel after deciding her passport did not meet European Union entry requirements, even though it appeared to have almost two years left before it expired.

Sharing her experience on social media, Oberman explained she had assumed her passport remained valid because of the printed expiry date. Checks before boarding revealed that its issue date, rather than the expiry date alone, meant it no longer qualified for travel to Spain under current EU rules.

Oberman’s experience shows how a passport can appear valid while failing to meet the entry requirements for many European destinations.

Why the 10-year passport rule catches travellers out

Current regulations require most UK passports used for travel to countries in the Schengen Area to have been issued less than 10 years before the date of arrival. Passports must also have at least three months’ validity remaining beyond the planned departure date.

Confusion often stems from older British passports that included extra months carried over from a previous document. Although those months still appear in the printed expiry date, they are not counted when calculating the passport’s age for entry into most EU countries.

Oberman’s experience is not an isolated case. Earlier this summer, a British mother was unable to board a flight to Greece after checks found her passport fell outside the EU’s validity rules despite its printed expiry date appearing to be valid. Both incidents show how confusion often centres on a passport’s issue date rather than the expiry date.

Check your passport before you fly

Holidaymakers travelling to Spain, France, Italy, Portugal or Greece should check both the passport’s issue date and expiry date well before leaving for the airport.

Taking a few minutes to confirm that a passport meets the EU’s entry requirements could help avoid expensive disruption, missed flights and the disappointment of seeing a long-planned holiday come to an unexpected end.

What started as a routine inspection at a Granada Kebab shop uncovered far more than anyone ever expected. Inspectors reportedly found insects, food products without proper labels and identification and serious hygiene problems before discovering an alleged cannabis plantation and other drugs inside the premises, leading to its immediate closure.

The discovery turned a normal check up into the centre of a police investigation, with officers finding problems linked to food safety alongside an alleged drug operation inside the same building. The fast-food outlet was closed after inspectors uncovered a series of issues that raised serious questions about the conditions inside the premises and what was taking place away from the public area.

Inspectors find serious hygiene problems inside premises

During the inspection, officers discovered insects inside the premises, along with food products that did not have the required labelling. Inspectors also found meat and sauces that were not correctly identified, meaning there was no clear information showing where the products came from or how they had been stored. Food traceability is important because it allows businesses and inspectors to identify ingredients, check their origin and ensure they have been handled correctly.

The inspection also found problems with refrigeration equipment, accumulated grease and poor maintenance conditions inside the premises. These issues meant inspectors could not confirm that food was being stored and prepared under the standards expected from a business serving customers. The discovery of these conditions inside a food outlet has raised questions about what customers cannot see when they walk into a premises.

Hidden cannabis plantation discovered inside building

The investigation reportedly uncovered another discovery inside the building when officers found an indoor cannabis plantation. A total of 88 cannabis plants were reportedly found in the cultivation area, alongside equipment used to grow cannabis indoors. Investigators also reportedly found that the cultivation area was connected to an illegal electricity supply, which is now part of the investigation. The discovery changed the nature of the inspection, with officers moving from food safety concerns to investigating suspected drug-related offences. A restaurant that appeared to operate as a normal fast-food shop was allegedly being used for cannabis cultivation in areas where customers closely waited for their take-away.

Cocaine, MDMA and methamphetamine among substances found

The discovery reportedly went further, with police finding other suspected drugs inside the premises. Officers reportedly seized more than 80 grams of cocaine, MDMA and methamphetamine, along with precision scales and around €7,000 in cash. The combination of several different substances, scales and cash led police to investigate whether the premises was being used for drug-related activity. The owner was reportedly detained on suspicion of offences linked to public health and electricity fraud. The investigation remains open as officers continue looking into the alleged activity taking place inside the premises.

Local concerns after unusual discovery

The case has attracted attention from neighbours because of the number of different issues found during the same inspection that went by completely unnoticed by customers. A fast-food restaurant is expected to provide customers with food prepared in safe and hygienic conditions, making the discovery of insects, unlabelled products and alleged drug activity particularly serious. For people living nearby, the findings have raised questions about how long the alleged activity may have been taking place and what was happening inside the building.

Premises sealed after inspection

Following the discovery, the kebab shop has been closed and sealed while officers continued examining the findings. The business cannot reopen while the investigation continues and the reported breaches are reviewed.

The alleged illegal electricity connection linked to the cannabis plantation is also being investigated alongside the food safety issues and suspected drug offences. Police are continuing to gather information about the operation and whether anyone else may have been involved.

A discovery nobody expected

For anyone walking past the kebab shop, it may have appeared to be an ordinary place to stop for a quick meal. However, the inspection uncovered a very different situation inside. Finding insects, unlabelled meat and poor hygiene conditions would already have been a serious discovery, but officers then reportedly uncovered an indoor cannabis plantation, other drugs, cash and equipment linked to the alleged operation. 

The case has turned a routine inspection into a much larger investigation involving food safety breaches and suspected criminal activity. The premises remains closed while police continue their enquiries into what was found inside the Granada fast-food outlet.

A European Parliament vote has revived a fierce privacy row over whether tech platforms can scan private messages for child sexual abuse material. WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram are excluded under the amended text, but users of non-encrypted services such as Gmail, Instagram DMs, Discord and Snapchat could be affected.

Private inboxes are back in Europe’s privacy row

Private messages, family photos, direct chats and email accounts are once again at the centre of a major European privacy row after the European Parliament backed changes to a temporary law allowing online platforms to voluntarily detect and report child sexual abuse material.

The measure is part of what critics call “Chat Control”, although the formal legal issue is a derogation from the European Union’s ePrivacy rules. It is an exemption that allows some communication service providers to scan certain private communications for child sexual abuse content without breaching strict privacy rules.

The Council of the European Union, which represents national governments, says the measure is needed so online providers can resume voluntary detection and reporting while a permanent child protection law remains under negotiation. 

Child protection organisations have long warned about the scale of online abuse. The Internet Watch Foundation said it assessed 451,210 reports in 2025, with 311,610 confirmed to contain or lead to child sexual abuse material.

How WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram can stay outside of this version

The European Parliament amended the text to exclude communications protected by end-to-end encryption. In practice, that separates apps such as WhatsApp and Signal from other private messaging services, because only the sender and recipient are meant to be able to read the content. Reuters reported that WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal are excluded from the temporary rules under the Parliament-backed changes.

The European Parliament said MEPs want to exclude “communications to which end-to-end encryption is, has been or will be applied” from the scope of the law.

This means your day-to-day family WhatsApp group, private Signal chat or Telegram conversation isn’t the main target here. The bigger issue is likely to be non-end-to-end encrypted services.

Why Gmail, Instagram DMs and Discord could face different rules

The revived system could matter more for private messages and email services that are not protected in the same way as WhatsApp or Signal. 

Spanish reports have listed Instagram direct messages, Gmail, Discord, Snapchat, Skype, Xbox and iCloud as examples of services where private communications could be affected if providers choose to use voluntary detection tools.

That doesn’t mean that every message on those services will be read or analysed by a person. The debate is more about automated detection technology used to identify suspected child sexual abuse material and report it.

Privacy campaigners argue that scanning private communications without suspicion or a court order still amounts to mass surveillance. Supporters argue that voluntary detection helps identify victims, remove illegal material and alert law enforcement.

The vote moved forward despite more MEPs opposing it

The most confusing part of the vote is that more MEPs present voted to reject the Council position than to support it. According to the European Parliament, 314 MEPs voted in favour of rejecting the position, 276 voted against rejection and 17 abstained. However, because this was a second-reading procedure, rejection required an absolute majority of all MEPs, not just a simple majority of those voting. Because that threshold was not met, the Parliament’s amended position moves forward. 

How child protection pressure is driving the law

Supporters of the measure argue that the temporary system is necessary because the previous interim law expired on April 3, 2026. The Council said the reinstated derogation would allow online service providers to detect, report and remove child sexual abuse material while broader legislation is still being negotiated. Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, quoted by the Council, said the measure was crucial to identify children at risk, bring offenders to justice and prevent further abuse.

The problem facing lawmakers is pressing. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said its CyberTipline received 21.3 million reports in 2025 involving more than 61.8 million images, videos and other files related to suspected child sexual exploitation.

But critics argue that the seriousness of the crime does not automatically justify blanket scanning of private communications, especially when less intrusive tools, user reports and targeted police action remain available. 

EU governments now have three months to decide

The current vote concerns a temporary derogation, not the wider permanent Child Sexual Abuse Regulation that has been stuck in negotiations since the European Commission first proposed it in 2022.

The Parliament’s amended text now goes back to the Council of the European Union. EU governments have three months to approve or reject Parliament’s amendments. If they do not accept all the changes, Parliament and Council will move to a conciliation process to agree on a final version.

Anyone relying on private email, social media DM’s or gaming chats for sensitive conversations should watch the next Council step, because that is where the final shape of the temporary rule will become clearer.