Tory MP John Redwood said travelers should “go elsewhere on vacation” if France continues to block access, while urging holidaymakers to “go somewhere where you’re welcome”. He said he was happy that his summer vacation to England had been booked.
Mr Redwood tweeted: “If France continues to block entry, people will have to go on holiday elsewhere. It’s no fun spending 7 hours in traffic.
‘Glad that my summer holiday to England has been booked. Go somewhere where you’re welcome.’
His comments come after long traffic jams outside the port of Dover, Britain’s main gateway to Europe.
British travelers departing at the start of the school summer break, and the usual stream of lorries, have faced long delays due to slow border controls.
The British government blames the problems on a lack of French border staff, while France says more controls are needed as Britain is no longer a member of the European Union.
Dover and the French port of Calais have “side by side” border controls with French authorities checking passports on British soil before departure, and vice versa in France.
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And with the disruption in Dover cleared on Sunday morning, port authorities said the work they and their partners have undertaken, “including strong support from colleagues at the French border” to clear traffic this weekend, shows it ” Port of Dover’s summer plan will work for the rest of the holiday period”.
About 72,000 passengers — more than 200 miles of tourist and freight traffic combined — had been processed through the weekend until Sunday morning.
Port chief executive Doug Bannister thanked travelers and residents of Dover for their understanding during what he described as a “challenging period”, saying he was “incredibly grateful to everyone who has changed this situation, from the French and British authorities to our ferry companies.” , Kent partners and our own port staff”.
Mark Simmonds, director of policy and external affairs at the British Ports Association, said he was pleased to hear that the situation in Dover had improved.
He told BBC Breakfast: “We’ve been told the port expects those cabins to be fully staffed all summer.”
Passengers crossing the Channel from Dover must pass through French border controls before boarding a ferry.
Elsewhere on the roads, the AA said traffic appeared to be flowing well on Sunday “except for some isolated congestion”.