Half-term travel: Dover passengers 'stuck for hours' at border control

Travellers queued for hours at border controls at the Port on Sunday

Some passengers trying to leave the UK via Dover say they have been stuck "for hours" due to a lack of open French border control booths.

Disruption began on Saturday as travellers experienced extremely busy roads and cancelled Easyjet flights as the half-term getaway began.

P&O Ferries said delays were "out of their control" as border controls were operated by French border police.

French authorities have been contacted for comment.

In a statement the Port of Dover said the situation was likely to remain in place for "a number of hours".

It said: "The Port is working with its French counterparts to move tourist traffic through the Border Controls as quickly as possible.

"The Port is very busy working with all the Ferry Operators to minimise delays once through the Border Controls."

BBC presenter Kathryn Stanczyszyn was among travellers held up for over six hours by delays at border control

BBC presenter Kathryn Stanczyszyn was among travellers stuck in the port for over six hours due to the delays.

She said: "We arrived at 06:30 for an 08:30 crossing with DFDS and followed the advice on when to arrive but once there were held for between an hour-and-a-half and two hours at border control and missed out crossing.

"When we checked in we were told they couldn't get us on a boat until 11:55 and that boat was then delayed by another hour. It's been very stressful and tiring waiting that long."

On Sunday one passenger tweeted they had missed their 09:15 BST crossing with P&O despite queuing since 06:30 BST, and described having only two border control booths open as a "total outrage".

Another passenger said they had missed their ferry after waiting almost two hours at border control.

In addition to delays at border control, the Port of Dover warned that it had seen tourists arriving without tickets.

It added: "The Port is very busy and is seeing tourists arriving without tickets. Please do not travel to the Port of Dover unless you have a booked ticket for travel.

"Your Ferry Operator will put you on their next available sailings."

Dover MP Natalie Elphicke called for a review of National Highways' "sticking plaster approach" to traffic issues in the area.

On Twitter she said: "This week I called for action to be taken on Dover's roads. Dover is becoming almost as famous for its traffic jams as for its White Cliffs.

"It is concerning that the half-term holiday getaway brings traffic chaos to Dover once more."

The Kent Resilience Forum, the body in charge of traffic management and emergency planning, said more traffic officers had been sent to Dover on Sunday to "actively manage roads in the town to help get things moving".

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