LONDON – British holiday ferries waited for hours in the port of Dover on Friday as authorities blamed French officials for the chaos.
Officials in Dover said the lack of French border officials has led to a wait of up to six hours for border checks at the Channel port, with queues of tourists and trucks blocking roads for miles (kilometers).
The port authority said in a statement that the French border police number was “inadequate and well below what is needed to ensure the first weekend of the busiest summer flight period”.
Since the UK left the European Union in 2020, UK travelers will face stricter border controls when traveling to the continent. At Dover, they are performed by French personnel on the English side of the English Channel.
Dover Port CEO Doug Bannister said the port has declared a “critical incident”.
“The French border has seriously disappointed us this morning,” he said.
He urged travelers to “consider suspending port voyages at this point until more is known.”
Ferry operator P&O said that in Dover there were “currently more than four hours in the queue to reach border control”. He warned passengers to “come prepared for a long wait”. Bring extra snacks and water with you.
Millions of people in England looking to start their holidays this weekend, where the summer break for most schools begins, are at risk of disrupting land, sea, rail and air transport.
Protesters against high fuel prices said they planned to close roads along routes in southwest England, a popular tourist destination on Friday.
The problems followed days of disrupted travel on British railways after a heat wave brought record temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) to Britain, stretching rails and starting fires.
Rail workers also staged nationwide strikes over wages and conditions last month and are planning more strikes next week.
Air travel has also taken a hit in the UK and around the world as airlines and airports struggle to cope with the return of mass travel disrupted for two years by the pandemic.
Source: Washington Post
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
