Motorists have been subjected to delays of up to 8 hours as a lack of French border control officials at the port caused huge queues to develop.
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Kent Police warned that some motorists were facing delays of eight hours before arriving at the port. Police distributed water to some who had been stuck in their cars for hours.
UK Border Force officials have been drafted in to work with French border police after the Government admitted motorists had suffered “extraordinary disruption” as the great summer getaway began on Friday.
“We understand that there has been extraordinary disruption in the Dover area today but safety is paramount. Measures are also being taken on the approach to the port where Kent Police will be proactively managing traffic to speed up the process”, a government spokesperson told the BBC.
Joerg Walther and his family, who live in Lincoln, had been stuck around five miles from Dover since 11am and described the situation as “unprecedented”.
The traffic jams occurred on the A2, A20 and M20, with people struggling to cope with the heat, a lack of food and water, and no access to toilet facilities.
Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham accused the Government of being “caught ill-prepared once again”, warning the Prime Minister should have expected heightened security checks in France.
Holidaymaker Matt Norwood tweeted at 8:30am on Sunday: “Not the best start to our holiday, haven’t moved since 1am”, while deputy head teacher Paul Gower, tweeted: “Carnage heading to #Dover hours of traffic and no end in sight”.
Dover, just 42 kilometers (26 miles) across the English Channel from the French port of Calais, is a key departure point for ferries to France, while the entrance to the Channel Tunnel is in nearby Folkestone.
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”.
The backups were so bad that some travelers got out of their vehicles to sunbathe, walk their dogs, or allow their young children to stretch and play.
Tourists are being advised to try to avoid the M20/A20 and use the M2/A2 where possible.
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Holidaymakers were trapped in traffic for up to 12 hours in the United Kingdom over the weekend as temperatures soared to around 30 degrees Celsius. “The extra French border checks are no excuse for poor transport management”.
