A Farnham man who retired after 41 years as a scientist says he has been left without his pension for more than three months amid delays affecting the Civil Service pension scheme administered by Capita.

Dr Paul Eggleton, who retired on March 31 after a lengthy career at the Natural History Museum, is among pensioners who say they have experienced problems since administration of the Civil Service pension scheme was transferred to Capita in December 2025.

An entomologist who joined the London museum as a PhD student in 1985, Dr Eggleton became an internationally recognised expert on termites and later headed the museum's Soil Biodiversity Group.

He retired early on health grounds and had expected to rely on a steady pension income.

"When I started," Dr Eggleton said, "the museum was a Civil Service scientific institution and though it later became an arm's-length government-funded organisation, we kept our Civil Service pensions.

"Capita had plenty of notice of my retirement date and should have sent me a quotation showing what my pension would be, but I heard nothing.

"In February I rang Capita and they denied having heard from our HR department. However, HR showed me the email they had sent Capita.

"I rang Capita again, but they said they couldn't access my details. The museum and my union are chasing it and Capita promised I would receive a quotation by the end of June showing how much my pension would be.

"June 30 came and went and nothing happened, so my next step is to contact my MP, Greg Stafford. In any case I'd only been promised my quotation, not the money.

"Since the end of March, I have had no proper income and there are thousands like me. The Natural History Museum has lent me money, which I will pay back when I receive my pension, but who knows when that will be.

"It has introduced a whole load of uncertainty when I hoped my retirement would be smooth."

In a previous statement to the BBC, Capita said it was continuing to work with the Cabinet Office to restore normal service levels.

The company said additional trained staff remained in place and that its focus was on ensuring members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme received the service they expected. It also apologised for the worry and frustration the delays were causing.