Gay dads who have moved back to Essex are embroiled in a fresh fight to keep their young family in the UK.
Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow have moved back to Chelmsford after living in Alicante, Spain, for three years with their surrogate five-year-old twins, Aspen and Saffron.
While they were living in Spain they flew to America for the surrogate birth of their third child, Orlando, two years ago.
They all returned to Spain but, with the twins ready to start school, the family have come back to Essex, renting a house in Springfield, Chelmsford.
Now they have become engaged in a battle with the Home Office for permission for two-year-old Orlando to stay in the UK, because he had lived in Spain since shortly after his birth.
They fought a similar battle for the twins, who were also brought back from America after being born there five years ago. The couple won after a ruling that the twins would have a stable upbringing in the UK.
Barrie, 36, said: "It's a nightmare at the moment. We are not sure if we will be staying in Chelmsford for very long which is a shame because we really love it here. At the moment it is a case of how long is a piece of string and it is in the hands of our lawyers."
Barrie and Tony, 41, are searching for a property in Danbury, where they lived before going to Spain.
The Home Office declined to comment on the case.
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Published Wednesday, September 14, 2005
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