Dispute between Great Britain and France over travel chaos

The port operator also blamed the French authorities for long queues before going to Calais. Truss described the situation as “totally avoidable” in a statement Friday.

The minister, who is running to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said: “France must take action to increase capacity at the border, limit further disruption to British tourists and ensure that this appalling situation is resolved in the future.” omitted.”

“Staff shortages at French border disrupt start of summer holidays,” said a statement from the Port of Dover. However, the French side called it an “unforeseen technical incident”. Passengers must undergo a border check by French authorities in Dover before boarding a ferry to northern France.

“Total Traffic Congestion”

Ferry operator P&O Ferries announced a minimum waiting time of six hours for the one-and-a-half-hour crossing to Calais in France and recommended taking enough water and food with you. Passengers took to the texting service Twitter to express their anger: “I booked the 08.00 ferry from Dover and there is a total traffic jam. I moved 50 meters an hour,” wrote one user. “At this rate, it would take me 34 hours to get to port.”

Port officials in Dover warned to reconsider potential travel plans at the end of the school year. This week marks the start of the summer holidays for most UK schools, making it one of the busiest times to cross the English Channel.

Port director Doug Bannister spoke to the British broadcaster BBC about the critical situation and advised passengers with tickets for a ferry to France not to even enter the port. “The Port of Dover has been preparing for the summer season for months and we are very disappointed by the lack of manpower on the French side,” said port operators.

Weekend rush

On the French side, regional prefect Georges-François Leclerc assured that “the increase in traffic this weekend was certainly foreseen and the team prepared for it”. However, he noted an “unforeseen technical incident in the Channel tunnel” that ensured French border police were fully operational only an hour later than planned. Operator Eurotunnel rejected this representation.

“The smooth running of the Port of Dover is a joint responsibility of many stakeholders, particularly shipping companies, the Port of Dover and the British authorities,” Leclerc warned.