A mum who is being prevented from flying home by Syrian authorities has been phoning her young children every morning to wake them up for school.

Rwida Hamoud, 40, of Highfield Road, Feltham, is believed to have been detained by the country’s secret police while on holiday more than a month ago.

Alan Keen, MP for Feltham and Heston, has now asked Foreign Secretary David Miliband for the case to be investigated “as a matter of urgency”.

Her family said she was released on bail last week, but is still being stopped from returning home.

They are convinced she is being punished because her former husband, Wahed Saker, is a dissident journalist who has criticised the Syrian Government.

Her 20-year-old son Jef Saker, a tiler, said: “She rings first thing in the morning and speaks to me to wake the kids up and get them to school. She likes to do that, she likes to stick to her routine even if she is in another country.

“She speaks to my sisters and brother to make sure they are all right and let them know she is still there, but this situation we are in, we cannot really do anything.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Keen said: “Alan has made urgent representations on his behalf to David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, and has asked that this case be investigated as a matter of urgency.

“Alan has also requested that Ms Hamoud’s family receive proper advice and support from the Foreign Office and that they be kept informed of any developments.”

Ms Hamoud, a British citizen, was on holiday with her children Sally, 14, Dayana, 11, and five-year-old Mohamed when they were prevented from catching their return flight on April 25.

The children flew back alone on May 9, and the family believe Ms Hamoud was taken to prison about a week later until she was released on bail.

Mike Blakemore, of Amnesty International UK, said: “We are monitoring this as closely as we can and would urge the Syrian authorities to respect Rwida Hamoud’s basic rights at all times.

“The important thing is that Ms Hamoud should not be arbitrarily detained, is able to access a lawyer, her family and any other assistance she may need, and that she is not subject to any improper restraint on her personal liberty.”