olidaymakers have been warned they could face a summer of repeated weekend disruptions after long queues in Knows were finally reduced on Sunday after days of road congestion.
Chaotic scenes of bumper-to-bumper traffic stretching for miles marred the start of the break as schools split for the holidays.
While disruption at dover was cleaned up on Sunday morning, the AA branded Folkestone the new “holiday hell hotspot” as people faced lengthy delays approaching the Eurotunnel.
The motorists’ association said long waits in Folkestone had “reduced significantly” by late afternoon, but was concerned that such congestion could be repeated this summer.
Jack Cousens, head of road policy for the AA, said: “This has been an incredible weekend with traffic jams in Dover and Folkestone, and holidaymakers will have been frustrated and angry at the delays.
“Good progress has been made throughout the day and the number of people waiting more than five hours at the check-in counter has dropped significantly. We hope to be back to normal traffic levels tonight.
“However, we are concerned that we may have a recurrence of this congestion in the summer.
“Drivers using both Dover and Folkestone to drive in” Europe on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings between now and the reopening of schools, there may be a repeat of these delays over the summer.
The Port of Dover has said the fact that it was able to clear traffic this weekend shows its “summer plan will work for the remainder of the holiday period” – but the AA said “significant progress” would be needed to ease congestion in the to help reduce the port. weeks ahead.
With the M20 along the coast closed to non-cargo traffic as part of Operation Brock to direct traffic, National Highways warned on Sunday of “serious delays” in Kent for people heading to Dover or Eurotunnel.
A man, who was traveling through the Eurotunnel with his wife and two children on Sunday, said it was a “stressful” experience being stuck in the car for eight hours before boarding a train.
The man, who only mentioned his name as Eugene, told the PA news agency that although traveling to France by car suits his family, he would reconsider if every trip involved such major delays.
The 53-year-old said: “Have taken this trip a number of times pre-pandemic and pre-Brexit. No such problems apart from occasional minor delays. It’s a shame this happened.”
Lines in the Port of Dover had been reduced to about an hour on Sunday, with relatively empty lanes in stark contrast to the blockades of the previous two days.
A spokesman for the port said: French border was “fully staffed and everything flowing normally” Sunday morning.
Additional post-Brexit border controls and the understaffing of the Dover checkpoints by the French authorities are responsible for the robberies.
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 that the Port of Dover’s “summer plan will work for the rest of the year.” the holiday season”.
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 seemed to be flowing well on Sunday, “except for some isolated congestion”.