Holiday getaway drivers trapped for hours at gridlocked UK border

Cars diverted as parts of a motorway are closed to non-freight traffic

Cars form long queues at the check-in at the Port of Dover in Kent. PA

People decide to go by foot into the Port of Dover. Many families are embarking on getaways at the start of summer holidays for many schools in England and Wales. PA

Staffing at French border control at the Port of Dover is 'woefully inadequate', causing holidaymakers to be stuck in long queues, the Kent port said. PA

A man cycles with a suitcase past traffic jams in Dover. AP

Traffic jams leading to the ferry in Dover. PA

Long car queues at Dover. PA

Tourists trying to leave the UK on one of the biggest travel weekends of the year have been gridlocked in southern England and trapped at port border crossings to France.

Thousands of travellers were stuck in hours-long queues and some lorry drivers endured waits of more than 18 hours around Dover, Kent.

Dover is the key port for ferry crossings and schools closed on Friday, triggering the mass departures.

Traffic queues snaked through Dover and its surrounding approach roads, stretching kilometres, with lorries backed up the M20 motorway leading to the town.

A traffic management system was introduced on the M20 to manage the high volume of lorries backed up towards Dover.

Parts of the motorway were closed to non-freight traffic and cars were diverted towards the port and the Eurotunnel by other routes.

Eurotunnel said its train shuttle services for vehicles between nearby Folkestone and Coquelles in northern France were two hours behind schedule.

Passengers embarking on cross-Channel sailings from Dover must pass through French border checks before they can board a ferry.

In France, politicians blamed the security checks, a result of Brexit, while in the UK, the problem was pinned on staffing at French border control.

Business and port officials in England indicated both staffing and longer security checks played a role in the delays.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss laid the blame squarely on Paris, insisting: “The French authorities have not put enough people on the border.”

Port authorities said they were “relieved that French border staff (Police Aux Frontieres) have now been fully mobilised at French border controls in Dover”.

The port of Dover chief executive, Doug Bannister, said it was “immensely frustrating” to be “let down” by poor resourcing at the French border.

He has also stated that there will be “increased transaction times” at the border due to extra checks needed.

Lucy Morton, a professional officer for the ISU, a union for borders and immigration officers, also blamed Brexit.

“Prior to Brexit there was a deemed right of entry — we weren’t in Schengen but there were still very minimal checks.

“Frequently there were no French checks at all,” she said

Natalie Chapman, from haulier group Logistics UK, echoed concerns about French staff numbers and Brexit changes.

She said: “As I say, the cause was that lack of resource yesterday but also, of course, it takes a lot longer to process through traffic than it used to.

Officials on the French side of the Channel rejected claims that the gridlock was caused by understaffing, saying border checks and the accompanying extra paperwork for freight traffic were the reasons.