Tourists and Freight Drivers Warned of Continuing Chaos UK – FRANCE – The horrendous delays being suffered by those transiting from the Port of Dover for France via RoRo cross Channel ferry services on this, the busiest weekend of the year, has been laid principally at the feet of French authorities.
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The backlog was created by a high number of holidaymakers and understaffed French border posts on Friday evening.
MOTORISTS heading for Dover for the start of a holiday overseas have been warned of long delays following the Nice terror attack in France and events last night in Germany.
Kent Police, who alongside the coastguard are delivering more than 11,000 bottles of water to travellers, said the disruption is down to a “vast volume of holiday traffic” coupled with delays caused by heightened security at the border.
“We understand that there has been extraordinary disruption in the Dover area today but safety is paramount”.
“We are also working closely with Highways England, Kent Police and the Port of Dover to tackle the disruption”.
For a second consecutive night, hundreds of drivers have been forced to sleep in their vehicles.
Police had to hand out water to stranded motorists given the high temperatures and Dover MP Charlie Elphicke called the situation “completely unacceptable”.
“The Department of Transportation and Home Office knew there would be heightened security checks in place in France”, he said.
She said: “Normally when Operation Stack is in progress they prioritise livestock and you get a police escort down, but there’s none of that, no priority”.
He added: “Despite the odd honk of frustration travellers appear to be resigned to the wait, perhaps because they are once here at least in sight of the Channel and their destination”.
A partial lane closure of the northbound A20 has been brought in so that water can be given to motorists on the Dover-bound carriageway.
Earlier motorists described people getting out of their vehicles to stretch their legs, and children playing football to entertain themselves.
Footage showed others playing music while people around them watched and danced on the gridlocked roads.
The Port of Dover issued an update at 6.45 a.m. saying delays were now standing at seven hours – four hours on surrounding roads and three hours inside the buffer zone, the Kent Online reported.
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In this aerial view taken from video, part of the miles long queue of traffic outside Dover, England, waiting to cross the English Channel into France, Saturday July 23, 2016, as France is under a state of emergency. “It is taking up to 90 minutes to check in due to reinforced security and Border checks”.
