The third day of chaos in Dover is upon holidaymakers and hauliers. There are huge lines of cars waiting at the border to get through this morning.
Tens of thousands of families were frustrated yesterday when they tried to reach the port. There was a seven hour delay, and some reported that people slept on the roadside.
The holdups were caused by extra border controls after Brexit and the understaffing at Dover checkpoints by French officials.
On Friday morning, six out of 12 French border officers operated at the port.
Although all the booths were open yesterday, there was still significant delay in getting through the Kent border check.
The port claimed that traffic had re-opened normally in the morning hours. There was hope for improvement.
Kent Resilience Forum, responsible for co-ordinating the county’s response and recovery from emergencies has said that Sunday would be one more day of disruptions and delays.
The mayhem caused by a cross-Channel dispute over fault has enraged a French anti-Brexit French Police Chief.
Fernand Gontier, 62, director general of France’s PAF Border Police, is accused of being responsible for there not having been enough French officers at Dover to help process checks on Friday.
Traffic was seen at Port of Dover on Sunday morning amid warnings of chaos ahead
As delays for a third consecutive day continue, huge queues were seen on Sunday at the Port of Dover.
After traffic was gridlocked, hauliers and holidaymakers were seen leaving their cars to go for fresh air.
Anti-Brexit French police chief Fernand Gontier (pictured) is accused of being responsible for delays at the port
As holidaymakers in the UK experience delays, people are seen waiting in line at Bristol Airport this morning at 4.30 am.
Pictured is a passenger sleeping in a Bristol Airport waiting area in the morning, as holidaymakers faced huge lines at the airport.
There were long lines at passport control booths in Port of Dover today, and some passengers claimed they had slept over.
This morning, there was a long line of cars trying reach the passport check booths at Port of Dover.
The port claimed that traffic had re-opened normally in the morning hours. There was hope for a positive change.
Tourists wait in traffic gridlock near Dover, as they await their turn
After getting stuck in the chaos, a dejected-looking man left his car to get out of it.
Kent Resilience Forum warns that Sunday is going to be another chaotic day
Only six out of twelve passport check stations were open on Friday.
Natalie Elphicke from Dover was furious at Mr. Gontier and claimed he has the answers to all of his questions about the delays.
She said: ‘First, the French don’t turn up to work, then they refuse to apologise for ruining Brits’ well-deserved holidays.
“It is no wonder that people ask if this French anti-British behavior to punish us for our departure from the EU.
‘I’m really disappointed by Mr Gontier. This happened! ‘He’s responsible as the chief. He must answer questions.
A Port of Dover source also told The Sun: ‘It’s clear Mr Gontier is not a fan of Brexit.
“It felt that they were not open at maximum capacity on Friday, which has created a backlog currently being seen.”
Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, blamed France for the “unacceptable” delays. The Times reported that French passport officials should have made sure enough personnel were working the passport booths.
When asked about Brexit, Liz Truss (Foreign Secretary of the Tory Leadership hopeful) said that disruptions were the responsibility of French authorities.
She said yesterday that the situation was caused by lack of resources at the border.
“And that’s what French authorities must address, and that’s what I’m being extremely clear about with them.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office later tweeted a statement from Ms Truss announcing that she had spoken to French foreign minister Catherine Colonna.
She stated that she was certain the French authorities had not sent enough personnel to the border. We need to take immediate action to end the horrible situation in which families and travellers are finding themselves.
After Ms. Colonna’s tweet, which stated that they had had a good talk, the message was posted.
Ms Colonna said that she was pleased with the collaboration between technical service experts to minimize delays. Also, it is necessary to upgrade the facilities at the port of Dover.
Pierre-Henri Dumont is the Republican MP for Calais.
Kent Roads near the station entrance are still at a standstill. This could get worse as the day progresses
The Eurotunnel, Folkestone, Kent has long queues at its entrance. Similar delays plague travellers in the past.
Folkestone police respond to traffic gridlock as officers arrive on scene
Earlier, Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister said it was ‘immensely frustrating’ to be ‘let down’ by poor resourcing at the French border, adding that there will be ‘increased transaction times’ at the border due to extra checks needed.
Later, he stated that he was pleased with the “commitment shown both by French and UK authorities in order to solve the problem”, and also added that the necessary staffing must be maintained throughout the summer.
Natalie Chapman of haulier company Logistics UK echoed the concerns over French staff numbers, and Brexit changes.
“As she said, the reason was that there wasn’t enough resource yesterday, but it also took a lot more time to clear through traffic.
‘You used to be able to just wave your passport before Brexit. But now, every single one of them is stamped and checked.
Today, approximately 6,500 cars will cross the border. This is down from the 10,000 that crossed Saturday.
The Eurotunnel staff in Folkestone, Port officials, and other personnel worked all night long to clear the backlog of 1500 trucks that had to be parked on the M20.
There have been hints that the UK government may consider imposing tit for tat on EU passport holders attempting to enter the UK. They are delaying their entry with “wet stamping”, while British citizens will be subject to less severe measures.
A decision was delayed on this proposal after civil servants recommended it be held until the new Prime Minister takes over.
According to Mr Bannister, the time it takes for cars to process at French booths to get processed by French officers has nearly tripled from 25-30 seconds to 70 seconds to three minutes after Brexit.
These chaotic scenes are adding to the misery of travellers already suffering months of delays at airports that lack staffing and striking on the railways.
This morning, delays which have been plagued UK airports over the past months were still evident as long queues of passengers waited at Bristol Airport.
The scenes at EasyJet check in desks were described by passengers as chaotic.
Since Covid restrictions were lifted earlier this year, many passengers are trying to get to other countries.
People have repeatedly complained of long security lines at Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester airports. A shortage in baggage handlers has also caused delays in collecting their bags.
Following the opening of school summer vacations, many passengers were faced with long lines at London Heathrow, Manchester, and Bristol airports.
With the end of most term in England and Wales, the RAC reported that an estimated 18.8 million leisure travel plans are being made in the UK today through Monday. It is the largest number since 2014 when it started tracking summer getaway numbers.
LONDON-HEATHROW AIRPORT: On Friday, passengers waited in line to check-in for a Scandinavian Airlines flight (SAS).
MANCHESTER AIRPORT: Passengers queue for check-in at Manchester Airport’s Terminal Two on Friday
This comes just eight years after Britain’s roads were under severe pressure. Yesterday saw 18.8 million trips in what was the largest summer vacation in 8 years.
Nikki Allford (31), and her daughters, Nikki, 8, and 12, set off Friday afternoon from Hertfordshire to go on a trip with their three children, aged 5, 8 and 12. They were stuck in traffic in Kent at 2.30am, and they did not get on a Channel Tunnel train until 11.15am.
She told The Mail that it was a “free-for-all” now because of the delays and there’s no way to track who gets on which train. “This is our first vacation since pre-Covid. We are eager to make it.
Rea Pope, a science teacher from Reigate, Surrey, was stranded in the queue outside Eurotunnel’s terminal in Folkestone for more than six hours – with traffic taking 90 minutes to crawl just 100 yards. She wrote that she had arrived one mile from the traffic jam at 5 am and was still stuck there, just before 11am.
Caroline Lynsey left her home in Cambridge at 3am but did not reach the passport booths at the Eurotunnel terminal until around midday – nine hours later. It took her seven hours to cover three miles.
In a Facebook post, she said, “Seriously. Do not bother coming near me today. You can change your tickets.”
Paul Nicholas and Wendy Nicholas, both pensioners, were among the affected.
The train took them to Dover, but their coach was stuck in traffic 18 miles away.
Nicholas, who was a former chief constable assistant, said that they don’t know when the coach will arrive. It’s been an absolute disaster.