Dover-Calais ferries suspended due to French strike

Travellers heading to Dover are being urged to allow extra time for journeys

Ferries between Dover and Calais are being disrupted by a national strike in France.

P&O Ferries services to and from the French port have been suspended since early morning.

Dover is still open with Dunkerque services running as normal but travellers are being urged to allow extra time for journeys.

A day of strike action across France is being staged to protest about plans to raise the official pension age.

The national stoppages involve transport, school and health workers.

P&O did release an optimised schedule, but said it could not anticipate the extent of disruption to services, adding that "it is possible that our wider operations could be affected during the day".

The company said it hopes to resume services from Dover to Calais later this afternoon.

There will be a shuttle service between Dover and Calais until all traffic is cleared.

Sailings to Calais are being loaded hours prior to departure to make available space at the port.

Danish ferry company DFDS has told customers due to travel from Dover to Calais that alternative arrangements are being made via Dunkerque.

Irish Ferries said that while crossings from Calais are affected, drivers with freight are still able to access that port and "check-in as normal".

The strike is affecting Eurostar rail services - a reduced number of trains is running due to staff shortages.

There are cancellations between London and Paris and on services connecting London to Lille, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

There will also be a reduced Eurostar service on Friday.

In France, the action affects much more than the ferries.

Intercity and commuter train services are badly disrupted. Many schools and other public services are shut. At Orly airport in Paris, one-in-five flights has been cancelled.

On the Paris metro only the two driverless lines are working normally. Large demonstrations are being staged in Paris and other major cities.

Dover was the scene of lengthy queues last July for travellers heading for the port and the Eurotunnel terminal.

UK and French officials could not agree on the cause of the disruption - some UK critics blamed a lack of French border staff but some French politicians said extra checks post-Brexit and a lack of capacity at the port were behind the delays.

The AA motoring group issued its first amber traffic warning, as thousands of families faced gridlock while attempting to travel.