Dover crossing waits of 30 minutes as summer getaway begins
- Published
Enhanced post-Brexit passport checks by French border officials have significantly increased processing times at the Kent port
Travellers looking to cross the Channel at Dover are facing waits of 30 minutes to be processed at border controls.
Earlier in the week holidaymakers had been warned to expect delays of up to two-and-a-half hours.
The Port of Dover said that as of 15:00 BST 20,490 passengers had already sailed to France.
Travel operators are anticipating delays and disruption in the days ahead as schools finish for the summer and millions of families go on holiday.
Meanwhile, Gatwick Airport said it expected to be busy due to strong booking numbers for the summer period, though it could not provide passenger numbers.
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: "With the school summer holidays fast approaching, London Gatwick is preparing to welcome more passengers between mid-July and the start of September. Its busiest day for departures is expected to be Friday 28 July."
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The airport also reminded passengers that industrial action on Saturday by the RMT union meant they would not be able to travel by rail.
Gatwick Airport expects its busiest day to be Friday 28 July
The Port of Dover said shortly after 06:00 BST it was taking about 90 minutes for departing passengers to pass through border checks.
It said it was "an extremely popular travel day" and traffic was "moving according to plan".
Processing times were cut to just 20 minutes by 09:45 but have since risen.
Enhanced post-Brexit passport checks by French border officials have significantly increased processing times at the port.
Border control processing will take abound one-and-a-half hours on peak days, which could rise to two and a half hours between 06:00 and 13:00 BST during the next two weekends due to high passenger numbers, the port said.
Ferry operator DFDS said it was operating additional sailings to meet demand.
Karen Baurdoux, customer performance manager for DFDS, said: "As it is one of the busiest weekends of the year, we would like to echo Port of Dover's message that passengers should not arrive more than three hours before their scheduled sailing time.
"This is to help reduce the congestion on the roads approaching and through Dover."
On the roads, there are currently severe delays of over 60 minutes on the M25 at and around the Dartford Crossing.
Congestion extends to before J3 (M20 Swanley interchange) with long queues on the approach to J2 from Bexleyheath, the live traffic website AA reported at 13:06 BST.
All lanes of the crossing have re-opened following an earlier collision.
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- Published23 May 2023
