1st April 2023
A critical incident has been declared at the Port of Dover with delays at the border and bad weather. The Eurotunnel service is reportedly running smoothly. NEW
Coach passengers face many hours of delays as changes since Brexit mean all UK passports have to be individually checked and stamped by French border officials.
Oliver Quigley-Brown, who is travelling to France for a university ski trip, told the BBC he had been warned he faced a 14-hour delay.
He said he had seen “a lot of stressed teachers” at the port, estimating there could be “thousands” of people from school and university groups stuck there.
Authorities had provided them with snacks and water, Mr Quigley-Brown said, but he added: “I don’t think they’d anticipated the kind of delays we’re seeing.”
Many other coaches have people bound for an Easter ski trip to the Alps.
The UK’s border with the EU and France is at Dover so the build up occurs on this side of the Channel.
There are reported to be no serious delays at the Eurotunnel.
Border controls. Image © PlanetSKI
In Dover cars are passing through the port without serious problem and freight traffic is being ‘processed steadily’, said the port authorities.
A spokesperson said: “The Port of Dover can confirm that a critical incident is under way as the port is currently experiencing high volumes of coach traffic due to the Easter holidays.
“Our present high volumes, combined with extended processing at border controls, has resulted in lengthy delays for coach passengers.
“The port, ferry operators and other partners are working hard to resolve the current issue.
“We apologise for the inconvenience these delays may have caused to passenger journeys and thank all port users for their patience at this time.”
The UK Foreign Office issued a fresh travel warning due to another day of planned France strikes next week.
Unions called for another strike for 6th April, which could impact the busy Easter weekend holiday.
“Coordinated strike action is next planned for 6 April. It may start the evening before the strike day and run for several days,” the FCO said.
“You should monitor the media and check the latest advice with operators before travelling.”
“Avoid demonstrations and follow the advice of local authorities.”
“Spontaneous protests in central Paris and elsewhere have been staged since the middle of March.”
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This article was originally published by Planetski.eu. Read the original article here.
