olidaymakers still face long waits to get the Channelwhile trucks are left behind after a second day of travel chaos.
additional postalBrexit border controls and French understaffing of the checkpoints by the authorities in dover blame for the robberies.
Scenes of road congestion and bumper-to-collision cars seen on Friday were repeated on Saturday as thousands of travelers endured long queues and some truck drivers saw wait times of more than 18 hours.
It comes during one of the busiest times for overseas travel from the UK as most schools in England and Wales have broken out for the summer.
Secretary of State and Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss said the disruption at the port of Dover was the fault of French authorities when asked whether Brexit was the reason for the transport chaos.
During a campaign visit in Kent, she said: “This is a situation caused by a lack of resources at the border.
“And that’s what the French authorities need to address and that’s what I’m very clear about with them.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office later tweeted a statement from Ms Truss announcing that she had spoken with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
She said: “I was clear that the French authorities have not put enough people at the border and that from then on we need to see action to resolve the dire situation facing travelers, including families.”
The message came after a tweet from Ms Colonna, who said the couple had a “good conversation”.
Ms Colonna added: “We welcomed the cooperation between our competent technical services to reduce delays. Also need to improve the facilities of the Port of Dover.”
But French politician Pierre-Henri Dumont, Republican MP for Calais, blames delays in the UK’s exit from the EU. too few kiosks due to lack of space.
Passengers crossing the Channel from Dover must pass through French border controls before boarding a ferry.
Port authorities said they were “relieved that French border personnel (Police Aux Frontieres) are now fully mobilized at French border controls in Dover”.
Port of Dover CEO Doug Bannister said it was “extremely frustrating” to be “abandoned” by poor resources at the French border, and has also stated that there will be “increased transaction times” at the border due to additional checks required.
He later said he welcomed the “commitment from both the French and British authorities to resolve the issue”, adding that the required staffing levels should be maintained for the rest of the summer.
Natalie Chapman, of the logistics UK transport group, expressed concern about the French workforce and the Brexit changes.
She said: “As I said, the cause was the lack of resources yesterday, but of course it also takes much longer to process through traffic than it used to.
“In the past, before Brexit, you just waved your passport and they may or may not be viewed, but now everyone is checked and stamped.”
Holidaymaker Angie Emrys-Jones and four family members, including three children, queued for nearly 11 hours and were unable to board the Eurotunnel until 4.15pm – after queuing at 5.30am.
The 46-year-old from Cornwall said the family was “tired” and had 16 hours to go to Umbria, Italy.
While those queuing to cross the Channel still had to wait three to four hours by 5 p.m., traffic jams on many routes in the southeast were cleared, according to the AA.
A traffic warning from the AA Route Planner continued to be issued to holidaymakers en route to Dover Port and the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone, while a freight backlog had yet to be cleared.
However, the AA predicted that the roads would be much quieter on Sunday.