The British port of Dover on Friday accused French authorities of “ruining the holidays” of many families due to an insufficient number of customs staff, leading to huge queues in the south-eastern city of England.
With the start of school holidays for many English people, this is one of the busiest times for the port from which ferries leave for France. Before crossing the Channel, passengers have their passports checked by French customs.
But “the lack of personnel at the French border is ruining the start of the holidays,” accused the port in a press release.
“In a new world of post-Brexit and Covid controls, we have worked to increase the control cabins at the French border by 50%,” indicates the port of Dover but “the (French) staff are insufficient for what is necessary to ensure a smooth first summer weekend."
“French customs let us down this morning,” Port Director Doug Bannister told the BBC, referring to a “critical incident." He advised passengers to “refrain from coming to the port for now” due to gigantic queues, with tourists and cargo trucks stuck on the roads in the region.
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“I booked the 8 hour ferry from Dover and it’s a total traffic jam. I’ve moved 50 meters in an hour. At this rate it will take me 34 hours before I get to the port,” said tweeted a user shortly before 7 a.m. Another adds having “waited five hours and still not being in port."
Faced with the disruption, ferry operator P&O Ferries advised on Friday to “allow at least six hours to pass all security checks,” advising passengers to carry water and food.
