Brit holiday warning – Dover delays set to last all summer
HOLIDAYMAKERS have been warned that queueing chaos at Dover could last all summer -with people reportedly waiting up to 30 hours to cross the channel.
Families have been taking up to six hours to move just 75 metres near the ferry port this month, as delays sparked miles of summer holiday gridlock.
One frustrated traveller, Joan, told she and her disabled older sister, Gina, entered the traffic jam around 8:30am to go through the Eurotunnel last week and had moved just one mile in eight hours.
She said: "The hard shoulder is like a public urinal now, people are trying to give their dogs exercise, we've gone through the worst heat of the day and people are running out of water."
Now travellers hoping to head to France have been warned that there could be no end to the delays during the peak holiday period, with no one taking responsibility for the problem.
Ross Matthews from told Sun Online Travel that the delays were unfair on people simply hoping to get away for the summer.
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He said: "With passport and documentation checks now taking longer than previous years, these delays are not going to improve at peak times without key travel authorities taking ownership.
"To end the chaos, both UK and French border authorities need to work together for a solution.
"It’s clear there is a need for more capacity from passport control lanes and booths at both Dover and Folkestone, but equally, understaffing from border control on the French side needs to be looked at.
"It’s not enough to keep playing the blame game, these key authorities are the only ones who can prevent these huge backlogs continuing, and rather than arguing over the cause of delays, they need to step up and do something about it.
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"This is unfair for holidaymakers who are being forced to wait in lengthy queues, at the start of what should be a wonderful holiday experience."
Cars have been backed up bumper to bumper outside the Kent port this summer as families embark on trips away after schools broke up across the country.
A ramp up of post-Brexit border checks and French authorities' understaffing checkpoints in Dover have been blamed for the hold-ups.
A "critical incident" was declared at Dover on Friday, with holidaymakers told to arrive six hours early for ferry queues lasting up to five hours.
And the travel chaos has hit again since - with transport bosses also warning there is a "way to go" before the holiday hell improves.
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Travel chaos continues elsewhere, with Heathrow warning their passenger caps could be in place for another 18 months.
BRITS have also been warned travel luggage chaos could last months as bags piled up at Gatwick Airport.
