Calais migrant crisis: Advice for travellers

Migrant incursions have caused severe delays to Eurotunnel train services in recent weeks.

Thousands of migrants - mainly from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan - have been camping in Calais and trying to get across the Channel.

Meanwhile in Kent, Operation Stack has led to long tailbacks for lorries on sections of the M20 leading up to the Channel Tunnel.

There is also the ongoing possibility of disruption to cross-Channel ferry services as a result of industrial action and migrant activity in and around Calais.

Travellers intending to cross the Channel have been warned to be prepared for delays.

How do I find out about delays?

The Department of Transport recommends checking with your travel operator before setting off on your journey. It has also provided advice on the Calais situation and an interactive map with details of alternative routes for returning to the UK from France. Its Twitter feed @transportgovuk carries live updates.

CHANNEL TUNNEL:

Eurotunnel LeShuttle provides regular updates on passenger services on its website, including delays at both French and UK terminals, and the number of services running per hour each way. On occasion, when there are severe delays, day-return passengers have been advised to reschedule. Delays to freight services are updated here.

Information is also available 24 hours a day on Eurotunnel's recorded information line, which is updated at regular intervals: [phone]. Calls cost up to 7p a minute.

The Eurotunnel Twitter feed @LeShuttle posts updates between 09:00 and 17:30 BST. It has also been retweeting passengers' tweets for useful live updates about the best routes to the terminal and delays.

Eurostar also uses the Channel Tunnel, but has largely been less affected by migrant activity, but was stopped for a period when striking ferry-workers started fires. Passengers can check the Eurostar website for delays before travelling, sign up for travel alerts by SMS, or check the @Eurostar Twitter feed.

OPERATION STACK:

Operation Stack is an emergency procedure used by Kent Police to park lorries on the M20 motorway in Kent. It is implemented in various stages when services across the English Channel - including those through the Channel Tunnel or from the Port of Dover - are disrupted. The road can be closed for days at a time, leading to severe delays in areas of Kent.

Latest updates on Operation Stack can be found on the Kent Police website and Twitter feed @kentpoliceroads. Highways England carries live traffic and travel information, including an interactive map. Check BBC Travel for up to date local travel advice.

Other useful Twitter feeds carrying travel information and updates on Operation Stack include Highways England; Kent County Council; and Port of Dover, and the hashtags #OpStack and #OperationStack. Online travel information for France can be found at Autoroutes and Bison Fute.

CROSS-CHANNEL FERRIES:

The Port of Dover posts advice on its website and Twitter feed @PoD_travelnews on delays to ferry services and the best travel routes for both passengers and freight. Alternatively call [phone].

P&O Ferries, which runs services from Dover to Calais, has a phone line for tourists on [phone], and for freight on [phone]. Check Twitter feed @POferriesupdate and the P&O Ferries website for sailing disruptions.

DFDS Seaways, which runs services from Dover to Calais and Dunkirk can be contacted on [phone] for tourists, and for freight on [phone]. The DFDS Seaways website and its Twitter feed @DFDSUKUpdates carry updates on sailing information.

Can I switch routes if there are delays?

Some ferry and Eurotunnel tickets allow changes, including to travel times or dates if you want to postpone your trip altogether. However, you may have to pay an amendment fee and the fare difference depending on the type of ticket you purchased; check with your travel operator for advice.

On occasion, when there are severe delays, Eurotunnel day-return passengers have been advised to reschedule, with no amendment fee.

DFDS Seaways allowed passengers to switch their ticket to the Dover to Dunkirk route while the Dover to Calais route was closed, but said it would not otherwise transfer passengers. It also runs services from Newhaven to Dieppe.

P&O Ferries said in the case of delays, it would not be able to offer refunds for people wanting to switch to an alternative route with another operator. A spokesman said: "The key message is that we will get people across."

The Department for Transport recommends considering alternative routes for travel in the case of severe disruption at Dover or Calais, with details of all the options on its interactive map.

Alternative routes include Brittany Ferries, which runs services from Portsmouth to Caen, St Malo, Cherbourg, and Le Havre; from Poole to Cherbourg; and from Plymouth to Roscoff and St Malo. Travel and sailing updates are posted on its Brittany Ferries website and its Twitter feed @BrittanyFerries.

Other alternative routes to the continent include Stena Line from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, and Condor Ferries from Poole to St Malo.

What do I do if I miss my train or ferry?

All travel operators warn that travellers are likely to be subjected to delays and strongly recommend passengers allow plenty of time for getting to their reserved departure.

Eurotunnel LeShuttle's website states: "If you miss your booked departure you may also be required to purchase a new ticket." In reality, you are likely to be put on the next available train - although this could mean waiting.

DFDS Seaways and P&O Ferries are currently operating a policy of putting passengers who miss their crossing onto the next available ferry at no extra cost. DFDS Seaways said it was being "fluid and flexible" during the disruption.

If in doubt, check with your travel operator when you are booking your ticket, or in advance of travelling.

Am I entitled to a refund or compensation?

The Association of British Travel Agents has compiled advice on rights for ferry passengers. It states that your ferry operator should inform you as soon as possible if it expects your departure to be delayed, and provide you with refreshments if your crossing is delayed by more than 90 minutes.

In the case of severe delays, passengers are entitled to compensation - however this does not apply where the delay is caused by adverse weather conditions or by "extraordinary and unavoidable circumstances". DFDS Seaways and P&O Ferries said the recent disruption to Calais routes caused by migrant activity and ferry worker strikes would fall into this bracket.

Eurotunnel says in its conditions of carriage that it will consider applications for a refund on tickets made within three months of travel, but the likelihood is that they would not refund tickets where delays were caused by factors outside their control. Its complaints procedure states that it will reply to correspondence within 28 days.

Is it dangerous to travel through Calais?

While there is no suggestion that holidaymakers are at risk if travelling through Calais, the Foreign Office has warned people "to be alert to the large numbers of illegal migrants who may be seeking to enter the UK".

It has issued advice to keep vehicle doors locked in slow moving traffic and to secure vehicles if left unattended. In case of severe delays on the way to Dover, make sure you have enough food and water.

French Gendarmes have been deployed to secure the Eurotunnel site; the French government pledged to send another 120 officers to Calais on Wednesday.

If you require emergency assistance, emergency services in France are contacted by dialling 112. If you require assistance from the British Embassy, call 00 33 (0)1 44 51 31 00.