British holidaymakers and other travelers suffered hour-long delays in traffic jams at the port of Dover on Friday, report British media. According to the port authorities, this was because France had too few customs officers in the ferry terminal in Dover. The French speak of “an unexpected technical problem” in the Channel Tunnel, which prevented all French personnel from arriving on time. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called the situation “unacceptable” and called on France to take action to prevent similar problems in the future.
Holidaymakers tell the BBC that they until six o’clock had to wait before they could take the boat. At the end of the afternoon, traffic slowly started to move again, but not all backlogs have been cleared yet.
The director of the port of Dover cannot guarantee that the chaos will be solved on Saturday and he blames the French for this. “To be abandoned like that is just very frustrating,” he told Reuters news agency. The largest shipping company in Dover advises travelers to take long delays into account and to take enough water and food with them.
The summer holidays have started for many Britons this weekend. Since Brexit, Britons who want to go to mainland Europe have to undergo more extensive passport control.
Also read this piece about the economic consequences of Brexit: One-year trade agreement with Britain: all red tape
POferriesupdate P&O Ferries Updates #PODover Please be aware that there is heavy traffic at border control.If you’re booked to travel today please allow at least 5hrs to clear the approach roads and security checks¬ July 22, 2022 @ 4:59 PM
‘Unacceptable situation’
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who has run for bid to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson, tells the BBC of an “unacceptable” situation. She wants France to take action and build sufficient capacity to “prevent further problems for British tourists and ensure that this terrible situation cannot happen again in the future”.
Transport Minister Grant Shapps says he is “working closely” with his French counterpart to solve the problems caused by the long queues.