Roads in Kent have been hit by long delays in recent days due to a lack of ferries caused by the suspension of P&O Ferries after it fired almost 800 sailors without warning. The carrier said it plans to resume Dover-Calais service next week pending regulatory approval. Toby Howe, tactical director at the Kent Resilience Forum, advised travelers to France to “allow a lot of extra time”. P&O says it intends to resume operations on the Dover-Calais line next week pending regulatory approval (Gareth Fuller / PA) (PA Wire) He told BBC Breakfast that the delays were caused by the “perfect storm”. “We had the perfect storm in Kent,” Howe said. “Yes, we had the P&O problem. Then we had a storm at sea which meant that many of the ships could not pass overnight. “We had some problems with the customs procedure, etc. “It simply came to our notice then. “Then we had a train in the tunnels, so it all came together to culminate in the problems we have for poor Kent right now.” He said there was also an IT issue with document processing. Mr Howe said: “Fortunately things are in place now, so it’s not too late, but that was something that contributed to those initial delays. Cars waiting to check in at Dover Harbor in Kent (Gareth Fuller / PA) (PA Wire) “So last weekend Dover really suffered because of all this congestion. “But we have implemented traffic management plans now so that things can flow through Dover and Dover can still function as a city, and the Eurotunnel and Dover port can function as needed.” He added: “Make sure you have food and drink because there will be delays. “So many of the side streets are unbelievable.” Mr Howe advised travelers to consider driving on different routes before embarking on their journeys. He said the summer, when traffic was likely to get busier, was a “concern”. Mr Howe added: “What we need are plans to move forward because any escape, Kent could suffer. “So we need plans to be able to limit the incoming traffic. “Hopefully when the ships return from P&O, that will also help. “But there will always be some problems as we continue with this genre.” He added that it should not be Kent who “suffers” whenever there are travel issues.
