Jean-Marc Puissesseau, president of the Cote d’Opale Chamber of Commerce, which runs the port of Calais, insisted he would complain to the French authorities about the failure to prepare for increased border checks.
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Kent police have warned the delays could last at least until Monday.
“The Port of Dover, which has no authority over French border operations, raised concerns over French manning levels with the United Kingdom government earlier this week and the government, in turn, raised the issue with its French counterparts”.
“We understand that there has been extraordinary disruption in the Dover area… but safety is paramount”.
Following a day of disruption, the Home Office announced on Saturday that it would send the UK Border Force to help French border police, and that police would be “proactively managing traffic” to get people moving.
Passengers are told to keep an eye on the latest traffic information and allow plenty of time to travel to the Port of Dover.
People were advised to bring food and drink supplies, while Sikh humanitarian organisation Khalsa Aid delivered bottles of water and snacks.
Drivers’ queued for up to 14 hours on Kent’s roads over the past few days as they attempted to clear additional French security checks at the Port and board ferries bound for France.
Motorists spent up to 15 hours yesterday at a standstill in queued traffic while bottled water was dropped along the jam by a police helicopter.
Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham said: “The government needs to get on the phone to the French authorities and get a grip on this outrageous situation”.
He said: “There are a lot of kids here, a lot of young children – a lot of people want to go on their holidays”.
A ferry company has urged United Kingdom and French authorities to ensure there is no repeat of the huge delays at Dover.
She added: “The port at Dover is a vital link connecting our island to mainland Europe and the governments on both sides of the Channel must act now to protect the millions of people who rely on it”.
Travellers seeking to cross the England Channel to enter France are facing severe delays because of heightened French security checks.
Footage showed others playing music while people around them watched and danced on the gridlocked roads.
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At one stage there were only three officials manning the seven booths available, whilst only one was checking the passage of dozens of coaches, with each taking up to 40 minutes to pass through security.
