‘It’s too hard’: Tourists have to endure for hours in the port of Dover. The British government blames the French.
Before crossing into France, a number of travelers again had to endure long waits in front of the British port of Dover on Saturday. Port Doug Bannister’s harbor chief has warned of a delay of up to six hours, noting that additional post-Brexit checks will increase check-in time. “It’s very difficult,” Kent County Council Chairman Roger Gough told the BBC on Saturday morning.
Ferry operators also asked their guests to be there three to four hours before departure. At the start of the holiday, about 10,000 passengers were expected on Saturday – again much more than on Friday, when there were already very long traffic jams in Dover. Getting to the port of Dover was difficult for most parts of the UK as the summer holidays began.
Truss talks about a ‘terrible situation’
The British side complained of a “sad lack” of French border controls. Passengers must clear British and French controls before boarding the ferries. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Friday urged France to do something about “unacceptable” delays at the port of Dover. She described the situation as “completely avoidable”.
