The AA has warned congestion is rising across the motorway network as parts of Kent remain overwhelmed.

Jack Cousens, the AA's head of roads policy, said traffic was now building along the major holiday routes - with delays now showing on the M25, M3, M4, M5, M6, A303 and A31.

He said there was also evidence of drivers looking to bypass the worst of the jams and turning on to local roads to try and avoid the queues.

Both P&O and Le Shuttle are currently warning customers of delays of about four hours to reach the port and Eurotunnel and clear security.

Cousens said: "The South East has been overwhelmed with travellers hoping to hop onto the continent with ease, but that has rapidly turned into a nightmare. One that is now being shared by the locals as drivers try to find alternative roads so they can keep the wheels turning."

Elizabeth Needham-Bennett
BBC News

Finally we’re on the train - six hours after setting off from south east London, with almost a four-hour delay sat on the A20 in Kent.

The usual route is via the M20, but with that closed we had to go the back way through Kentish towns and villages.

After the stop-start crawl, doubling back from the final roundabout to the Eurotunnel slip road, we reached two police officers who seemed to be controlling the flow of traffic to the Eurotunnel entrance.

A slow crawl to the ticket booth, then a remarkably easy trip through English passport control.

The only good part of the day? A French border official opened up his booth in front of us.

“Bonjour!” I said. No response. Once he’d made himself comfortable and adjusted his chair he stamped our passports.

“Merci!” I tried again. Nothing. C’est la vie.

Did you know there’s 4G under the channel? Me neither.

Not everyone hit by the delays will be rewarded with a nice holiday.

One driver tells us he's “going to work at Eurotunnel - bit ridiculous isn’t it?"

"I left at 6.10am," he says, adding it's already taken "three hours to get to work".

Long queues of cars have built up at the Port of Dover for a second day.

P&O Ferries told travellers to allow at least three to four hours to get there and clear all security checks.

About 10,000 cars are expect to pass through the port today - up 1,500 on Friday's figure.

There are also delays on the A20 approach to the Eurotunnel service in Folkestone.

Officials in Kent have declared a major incident due to the traffic.

Some 3,000 lorries are also waiting to cross. They are currently parked on the M20 outside Dover.

Dover MP Natalie Elphicke says it’s another “really busy and difficult day” as another major incident is declared in Kent.

“Yesterday the French let us down badly,” she tells the BBC.

Although she welcomes the “good news that they’re manning those passport controls today”, she expects queues will continue to be “considerable”.

She dismisses suggestions the delays are Brexit-related, instead calling for “more investment” at the ports.

Image source, Getty Images

More now from people stuck in queues trying to get to the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone.

One family of five told us they set off at 5.30am to get a head start for their trip to Disneyland Paris.

They say they should've checked in for their train at 7.20am, but faced "so many diversions".

"We’re slowly, slowly getting there. We’ve been on many diversions because we weren’t told the M20 was closed."

Another passenger heading to the Eurotunnel described the delays as "rubbish, absolutely rubbish".

"We came up from Exeter last night so for us it’s a terrifically long journey.

"We have a very good little one in the car – very patient.

"There’s nothing really clear on what’s causing this back-up [of] traffic."

The problems aren't just at Dover.

Anna Divers lives near the A20 approach to the Eurotunnel and is popping to France with her sister-in-law Kay for a couple of weeks.

"If you are coming off the M20 and trying to get to the tunnel – that’s shut apparently. So the A20 is the route in.

"I have never ever seen it like this. I have lived here 16 years and travel to France regularly. It’s never been this bad."

With road closures planned from her village from Monday for six weeks, Anna says "if this carries on we’ve got a problem".

The start of the school holidays usually sees roads getting busier as families head off on their summer breaks.

But passengers are facing hours of delays again today as queues persist at Dover.

As we've been reporting, travel expert Simon Calder described the queues as "extraordinary", adding they were an effect of Brexit.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Long traffic jams are building up around Dover for a second day running.

The port's boss, Doug Bannister, told the BBC that processing times had improved but delays were still likely because of the volume of traffic.

He says the port is expecting 10,000 tourist vehicles today - up on Friday's figure of about 8,500 cars.

Dover residents say the queues of tourists heading to the port and the Channel Tunnel are “only half the story”.

Writing on social media one person said: “Surrounding roads were yesterday, and are again today, gridlocked. So while holidaymakers and lorries endured a 5-6 hour delay yesterday, local people are now facing day two of disruption.”

Another woman wrote: “As much as I sympathise with tourists, not being able to get to doctor/vet appointments, pick up prescriptions and get to work is just as important.”

Others said Hawkinge, Folkestone and Hythe – all nearby towns – had been impacted by the travel chaos.

One man said: “As soon as the M20 is gridlocked all the surroundings roads are too, as lorries take it on themselves to find alternative routes, usually on unsuitable roads.”

P&O Ferries have tweeted, external to warn drivers that there is heavy traffic at border control at the port of Dover.

It says if you are booked to travel today please allow up to 4 hours to get to the port and clear all security checks.

It adds if you miss your sailing, you'll be on the first available ferry once you arrive at check-in.

Sarah Bell
BBC News

We breathed a huge sigh of relief when border control finally stamped our passports and we drove towards our ferry for France.

We had reluctantly decided to stay in Folkestone after getting stuck in the gridlocked traffic yesterday - and it worked. After leaving at 5.30am we arrived at the port at 6am - hardly seeing another car on the way.

We sat in the queue for border control for 90 mins - with no movement at all until 7am - we wondered whether that was when staff came on shift.

Either way, we were super relieved to make it with a relatively short wait, especially with news of another tough day ahead.

It's cost us time and extra money but yesterday was just impossible with small kids.

Now we're looking forward to our break and wishing luck to the people still behind us.

Simon Jones
Reporting from Dover

It’s already busy at the Port of Dover, and the queues are getting longer.

The port is expecting 10,000 tourist vehicles today - that’s more than yesterday - plus 3,000 lorries.

It’s probably an understatement to call it a challenging day.

Port bosses say the French passport booths are now being properly staffed.

But in a post-Brexit world, it’s taking longer for cars to get through, as people need to get their passports stamped.

It’s not just the port facing issues. Eurotunnel trains are running normally from Folkestone but passengers are struggling to get to the terminal.

That’s because part of the M20 has been shut to park lorries.

People we’ve spoken to who are heading abroad tell us they have set out early and are resigned to facing delays.

The tantalising prospect of getting away on holiday is just about keeping them going.

We've been hearing from drivers stuck in the queues waiting to get to the Port of Dover.

Despite the delays, the people we've spoken to say they are coping ok.

A bit more now on Eurotunnel. We've been reporting delays on approaching routes to the Folkestone terminal.

Eurotunnel says it's very busy but everything is flowing once people arrive at the terminal.

It's taking 60 to 90 minutes for travellers to pass through.

The spokesperson would not estimate the length of traffic queues outside the terminal but said Operation Brock - traffic easing measures aimed at keeping cars moving through Kent - was having an impact.

More now from travel expert Simon Calder, who says the days of just waving your passport from the car window and driving through Dover are over.

Although all the border check stations are being fully staffed this morning, Brexit has meant French officials have to conduct more rigorous checks on passengers travelling from the UK.

"In the olden days when I’ve turned up in my car, I’d just wave a passport... and I’d be through," says Calder.

"They cannot do that anymore because this is an external frontier of the European Union."

He says every official has to not only check each passport and stamp it, but also make sure you haven’t stayed more than 90 days in 180, whether you’ve got a return ticket, accommodation and money.

Calder's been timing checks at the border, he adds.

"A couple of people in the car [takes] about 45 seconds. If you’ve got a family of four, that’s a minute-and-a-half... and therefore, queues are just going to build up.”

Image source, PA Media

The Independent's travel expert Simon Calder's been talking to the BBC about the chaotic scenes in Dover.

"This is extraordinary," he said, adding "Brexit took effect at the start of last year, but it’s only this weekend that we are seeing the really significant problems".

He said it was "fairly predictable" after last year's amber plus status due to the Covid-19 pandemic had led hundreds of thousands of people to cancel their trips to France to avoid 10 days of self-isolation when they got back.

Travellers can expect another "very busy day" at Dover, the port's chief executive has said.

Doug Bannister said some 10,000 cars were expected to be processed going out of the port on Saturday, up on Friday's figure.

Asked if there could be five to six-hour delays for people at the port again on Saturday, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "It could be. We were expecting that today was going to be a busier day than yesterday.

"Yesterday we processed about 8,500 cars going out. Today we were predicted to be around 10,000, so it is going to be a very busy day down here."

Elizabeth Needham-Bennett
BBC News

It’s not just Dover-bound traffic that is experiencing problems.

We are heading to the Eurotunnel at Folkestone. The M20 is closed to non-freight with poor signage showing the diversion.

One highways worker stopping traffic getting on to the motorway told us to ignore the signs and follow the A20.

We’re now stuck in stationary or at best, occasionally crawling traffic on the A20, three miles from the terminal. There are long queues behind us as far as I can see. Lorries parked up wherever they can.

Some people are walking their dogs on the roadside. I've seen families diving into the bushes on the roadside for makeshift lavatories.

A text from Eurotunnel says: “Our service is running well with regular departures. However, due to volumes on site, customers may experience extended border processing and travel time from M20”.

Delays are also being reported by travellers heading for the Eurotunnel in Folkestone, with traffic crawling on approaching routes.

Eurotunnel says it's doing its best to get its passengers to France as quickly as possible.