A CARHAMPTON teenager has found herself in limbo without a nationality - despite being born in West Somerset and her father being a born and bred Briton.

And her younger brother will soon be in the same boat once he is old enough to have his own passport.

Jenny Angell, her brother Martin and their German mother Marion Chilla are all facing an uncertain future because of a little-known law introduced 20 years ago.

The Government stated that children born after 1981 must take their mother's nationality, but Jenny and Martin - aged 16 and 15 respectively - were registered at birth as British and under their father's surname.

Their father, John, is now fighting to keep his family in England and he says the red tape only allows foreigners to stay because of "who they know in higher places".

The family's plight only emerged when they applied for a passport for Jenny. Martin is still young enough to travel on his father's passport.

The family had wanted to take a trip to Germany for Christmas and New Year but the application was refused and sent back to them.

The passport row worsened when they learned that they could not be accepted as German nationals because they have British birth certificates.

The legal wrangle continued when the Home Office said there were no records of Jenny and Martin, who are students West Somerset Community College, being born in England.

Nor did they have confirmation of Marion, from Dortmond, entering this country with her mother in 1966.

The family, who are on income support, have been told that they can pay £150 each for Marion and the children to apply for British citizenship. But the process could take up to a year with no guarantee of being allowed to stay.

As it stands, in a few months time Jenny and Martin will not be allowed to set foot out of Britain until their passport crisis is resolved.

John, aged 66, told the Free Press: "This whole situation is ridiculous. We never knew anything about the children having to take the mother's nationality until we applied for Jenny's passport.

"Nobody explains any of this to you and I wonder how many hundreds of other families this has happened to, or will in the future when they apply for passports.

"I was disgusted to hear in the news how a non British subject can obtain a British passport and British citizenship just because he knows someone in higher places."

He added: "I don't actually mind paying the £150 to apply to register Marion as British, but I don't feel I should I have to pay for my two children who were born in Taunton at Musgrove Park Hospital.

"They were born here so why should I cough up £450? And then there is nothing to say they will definitely be allowed to stay in England.

"I feel it is unfair to take their birthright away from them."

The passport problem meant that Jenny was prevented from going to Disneyland, Paris, with the college in January. And a business studies course she wanted to take involved a trip to New York.

Marion, aged 47, said: "I think this is a real mess and we don't know what else we can do. I really think it is awful what has happened.

"Jenny is now stuck without a nationality and Martin has only a few months on left John's passport before it runs out."

John said he spoke to immigration officials in Liverpool and the Home Office and was given confirmation that his common law wife and children faced being deported.

He has enlisted the help of Bridgwater MP Tom King in an attempt to prevent his family facing a massive upheaval if the worst comes to the worst.

Mr King was unavailable for comment as we went to press yesterday (Thursday).