Holidaymakers and hauliers have been warned of a third day of traffic chaos in Dover with huge lines of cars waiting this morning to reach border controls.
Tens of thousands of annoyed families were delayed seven hours yesterday trying to enter the port, with reports of some sleeping in their vehicles on the side of the road at night.
Additional post-Brexit border controls and the understaffing of the Dover checkpoints by the French authorities are responsible for the robberies.
The fiasco started early Friday when French border officials operated just six of their 12 booths in Dover.
All booths were staffed yesterday but significant delays continued to reach border controls at Kent harbour.
There was hope that the situation would improve today, with the port claiming traffic was back to ‘normal’ in the early hours.
But the Kent Resilience Forum, which is responsible for coordinating the county’s response and recovery to emergencies, has warned Sunday will continue to be another day of disruption and delays for vacationers and carriers alike.
A French anti-Brexit police chief is blamed for the chaos as a row over the canal over a mistake rages on.
Fernand Gontier, 62, director-general of France’s PAF Border Police, has been accused of being responsible for not having enough French agents in Dover to help process Friday’s checks.
Traffic pictured building in Dover harbor early Sunday amid warnings of another day of chaos
The photo showed vacationers and carriers leaving their cars for fresh air when traffic came to a standstill
A long line of cars trying to reach the passport control booths in the port of Dover this morning
There was hope the situation would improve today, with the port claiming traffic was back to ‘normal’ in the early hours
Holidaymakers wait outside their cars in jammed traffic, pictured near Dover harbor this morning
A dejected-looking man was one of many who left their car after getting stuck in the chaos
The Kent Resilience Forum has warned Sunday will remain another day of disruption
Only six of the twelve passport control booths were manned on Friday.
Dover MP Natalie Elphicke lashed out at Mr Gontier, claiming he has ‘questions to be answered’ about the delays.
She said: ‘First the French don’t come to work, then they refuse to apologize for ruining the British’ well-deserved vacation.
No wonder people are asking if this is even more anti-British behavior by the French to punish us for leaving the EU.
‘I am really disappointed in Mr. Gontier. How could this happen? “He’s responsible as a chef. He has questions to answer.’
A source in the port of Dover also said: The sun: ‘It is clear that Mr. Gontier is not a fan of Brexit.
“The feeling that they are not opening at full capacity on Friday has ensured that there is still a backlog today.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps blamed France for the “unacceptable” delays, arguing that French passport authorities should have ensured that sufficient staff were operating the passport booths, The times reports.
And hopeful Liz Truss, foreign minister and Tory leadership, also said the disruption was the fault of French authorities when asked if Brexit was the reason for the transport chaos.
During a campaign visit in Kent yesterday, 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: “It was clear to me 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 were pleased to see the collaboration between our competent technical services to reduce delays. The facilities of the port of Dover also need to be improved.’
But French politician Pierre-Henri Dumont, Republican MP for Calais, blamed delays in the UK’s exit from the EU, told BBC News it was ‘an aftermath of Brexit’ with increased controls and claimed the port van Dover ‘too small’ few kiosks due to lack of space.
Kent Roads around the station entrance were at a standstill this morning and could get worse during the day
Long queues around the entrance to the Eurotunnel in Folkestone, Kent, where travelers face similar delays
Police on the scene in Folkestone as traffic jams approaching Eurotunnel
Previously, Port of Dover CEO Doug Bannister said it was “hugely frustrating” to be “abandoned” by poor resources at the French border, adding that there will be “increased transaction times” at the border due to additional controls that are needed.
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, from the logistics UK transport group, expressed concern about the French workforce and the Brexit changes.
She said: ‘Like 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.
‘Before Brexit you used to just wave your passport and look at it or not, but now everyone is checked and stamped.’