The Passport Service's online application system has been suffering technical problems which have delayed 5,000 passports.

The trial of the replacement EPA2 system ran into problems, and staff have had to go back to using the old system for processing applications. Of 18,000 applications made using the new system, some 5,000 people are still waiting for their travel documents. The Passport Service says it expects to clear 500 applications a day.

The Passport Service website also hosts information about ID cards - that section is still online.

The service apologised for any inconvenience caused and said there might be compensation. More details at Computer Weekly (http://www.computerweekly.com/articles/Articles/2006/07/11/216883/Holidays+at+risk+as+online+passport+system+collapses.htm) .

Also having a little lie-down today is the online car tax section of the DVLA website.

A spokeswoman for the DVLA told The Reg: "Yes, it went down yesterday and it's being investigated as a matter of urgency."

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