According to the first information, the delays may reach four hours. Doug Bannister, the port’s chief executive, said the “major disruption” was due to “woefully inadequate” staffing. He told Sky News: “The reason is French immigration controls. “We are disappointed this morning despite months of planning to prepare for this day.” Mr Bannister added: “This is very disturbing. French border controls are not adequately staffed.” In a lengthy statement, the port said it had “worked so hard in good faith” with local and government partners over several months as it prepared for the “busy summer”. He added: “We are deeply disappointed that the resource at the French border overnight and early this morning was woefully inadequate to meet our projected demand.” Dover said it had “trained a new team of passenger champions to be on hand to assist customers at the port”. Referring to the detailed preparations, she said she had “communicated the traffic volumes in detail with the French authorities so that these volumes can be matched with adequate resources at the border”. He continued: “We know that resources are finite, but Dover’s popularity is no surprise. “Unfortunately, the resources of the Police Aux Frontieres (PAF) were insufficient and fell far short of what is required to ensure a smooth first weekend of the peak summer getaway season.” The port said it was stressing the “importance of adequate resources at the French border for the coming days and weeks for which we were previously assured”. He concluded: “We have to work as a team.”
Roads to watch for weekend delays
M25 left Junction 4 Bromley to Dartford M4 east Junction 30 Cardiff East to Junction 24 for A449 Monmouth M25 left Junction 17 Maple Cross to Junction 12 for M3 A303 westbound past Stonehenge M25 clockwise Junction 7 M23 to Junction 16 for the M40 M5 south Junction 15 Almondsbury Interchange to Junction 23 for A38 Bridgwater M25 left Junction 17 Maple Cross to Junction 12 for M3 Source: RAC
There could also be major disruption on the streets – with fuel price protests planned for Friday threatening to unleash further chaos as millions of families leave for their summer holidays. Protesters plan to cause delays with “slow roadblocks” on sections of the M4, M5, M32 and A38, police have warned. Fuel Price Stand Against Tax, a Facebook group with 53,000 members, shared a post suggesting activists would gather “nationally” to make their voices heard. Demonstrations are planned in Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, London and Manchester.
