Dover delays: Long queues for passengers at port

Long queues have formed trying to access the Port of Dover

There are long delays for those at the Port of Dover trying to get to the continent on their bank holiday breaks.

The port reported processing time of two hours at the French border controls at Dover at 17:00 BST.

It posted on social media that ferry operators would accommodate delayed passengers on their next available sailings.

In addition drivers are also reporting "gridlock" in the town itself due to the increased traffic going to the port.

'No toilets'

The Port of Dover spokesperson said: We are experiencing extremely high levels of traffic this morning and are working with French border police. Kent Highways and Kent Police to clear the queues as quickly as possible."

Traveller James Collins, from Eastbourne, is trying to get to Paris for a break with his partner, six-month old baby and in-laws.

They were still in a queue to get to border control four hours after arriving in Dover.

He said: "We have nowhere to go to the toilet or change our baby’s nappy.

"We got told by an attendant to 'do it in the car'."

Traveller James Collins was in a queue to enter the port for several hours

Katie Rogerson-Moran said she had been stuck in the queues to get to the port for five hours.

Motorist Chris Warwick said: “The traffic around Dover is gridlocked.

"I am currently stuck, with no sign of anything moving.”

A Port of Dover spokesperson advised that for safety reasons travellers should stay in their vehicles and thanked passengers for their patience.

A spokesperson for ferry operator DFDS said: "We are expecting a busy weekend.

"We highly recommend all customers have a confirmed reservation

"Please allow 120 minutes to complete border and check-in controls on arrival."

Long queues of lorries formed on the A20 between Folkestone and Dover

The A20 Roundhill Tunnel is closed eastbound between the M20 (J13/A259/A2034) and the A260 near Folkestone, according to National Highways.

This closure is in place to prevent traffic queueing inside the tunnel following the delays at Dover.

A traffic-holding system for lorries queueing to cross the English Channel is in force for the holiday weekend.

Operation Brock sees lorries heading to Dover queue on one side of the M20, with the other carriageway operating as a contraflow.

It covers a 13-mile (20.9km) section of the motorway between junctions eight (Maidstone) and nine (Ashford).