A YORK couple who are hoping to adopt their niece from Thailand say they have been caught up in so much red tape that they are considering leaving the UK to be with the little girl.

Paul Barker, 47, and his wife Nuch, 33, from Bradley Lane, Rufforth, believe that lack of communication between City of York Council and Doncaster Adoption and Family Welfare Society (DAFWS), which deals with inter-country adoptions for the York area, have added at least eight months onto the year-long adoption process.

Mr Barker said they were due to attend an adoption preparation course - carried out before an application is even submitted - earlier this month, but it was rescheduled to November because they had not been registered with DAFWS.

They then face another six to 12 months of assessments, interviews and police checks before they can bring six-year-old Eyang home to York.

Mr Barker said he was prepared for the process, but that it was disgusting that unnecessary delays had left a six-year-old child waiting for a secure and loving home.

He said: "We approached the adoption authority in York in April. They should have filled in some forms, we should have had an interview, but these haven't happened.

"Doncaster said we can't come on a course until York have registered us. If that had happened we could have done the course in September.

"So it will be eight months before we get on the course and then at least six months on top of that.

"What we are considering doing now is selling the house and going to live in Thailand."

Mary McKelvey, service manager for family placements at City of York Council, said she was unable to comment on individual cases, but said that all adoptions involved a long process in order to protect the children.

She said that inter-country adoptions, handled by DAFWS, were difficult to put a time frame on because different countries had different regulations.

DAFWS would not comment on any aspect of its work.

Mr Barker said he met Nuch, a graphic designer and part-time student, while on holiday in Thailand and they married two years ago.

He said he and his wife were unable to have their own children and they got the idea to adopt six-year-old Eyang, Nuch's brother's daughter, during a family reunion in Thailand.

Eyang is one of seven children being cared for by Nuch's elderly mother after their fathers, Nuch's brothers, abandoned them and their mothers - a common phenomenon in Thailand's 'granny-reared' society.

Mr Barker said the adoption had already been approved by Thai authorities and that Eyang was looking forward to living with him and his wife.

Updated: 10:51 Thursday, September 25, 2003