Anyone looking to leave the port of Dover today has been warned to expect delays even worse than the travel upheaval seen on Friday.
Yesterday, tourists and truckers braved a congested road around Dover with a six-hour queue and bumper-to-bumper traffic.
P&O Ferries advised passengers traveling today to go through security checks for at least five hours, adding that they expect Saturday to be as busy as yesterday.
A warning is being issued as French and British officials continue to bicker over who will be responsible for the turmoil that coincided with the start of the summer holidays, one of the busiest times for international travel from the UK.
Jack Cousens, Head of AA Road Policy, said:
“Drivers should anticipate delays and delays on major holiday routes at South West, East Coast, Dover and Folkestone ports.
“Many people have decided to leave at the beginning of the summer holidays, but every Friday and Saturday from now until the beginning of September, when classes return, we get busy on our roads.
“This is because these are the main transition days for the holidays.
Foreign Minister Liz Truss tried to blame France for the delay, saying the line was “unacceptable” and “totally avoidable”.
In a statement, the Conservative leaders said:
“We need action from France to strengthen our border capabilities to limit further disturbance to British tourists and prevent this horrible situation in the future.
“We will work with the French authorities to find a solution.”
The port of Dover also attacked French authorities for having “woefully inadequate” border control staff.
The port’s chief executive said it was “extremely disappointing” to have been “discarded” at the French border with inadequate resources.
Doug Banister did not guarantee that the debris would be cleared within days, but promised that authorities would do everything possible to solve the problem.
He told BBC News: “It’s a shame to lose track with inadequate resources and a slow cross-border process.
“We shared the expected traffic volume in detail every hour, so it was clear what we needed at the French border.
He said Saturday was also expected to be busy, adding “it’s just the start of a very busy summer for us.”
Meanwhile, Republican Pierre Henry Dumont of Calais said the port issue would come back “because of Brexit”.
He told BBC News: “This is the result of Brexit. It needs to be reviewed more than before.”
Dumont also said that the port of Dover was “very small” and there were few kiosks due to lack of space.
Passengers crossing the strait from Dover must clear French border control before boarding the ferry.
The port said in a statement that the number of border checkpoints had increased by 50%.
He went on to say: “Unfortunately, the resources of the PAF (Auxiliary Border Police) were inadequate, well below the resources needed to cover the first weekend of the peak summer vacation season.
The French embassy in the UK said on Friday night that the French border crossing at Dover was “working hard”.
French officials say they are working closely with their British counterparts and all stakeholders responsible for traffic at the Port of Dover so that travelers can make intersections in the best possible conditions.
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Source: Metro
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