LONDON, July 24 (BNA) Truck drivers and travelers seeking to cross from the UK to France faced major disruptions and long wait times for the third day on Sunday in the weekend that begins the summer holidays for many British families, the Associated Press reported. AP) reported.
Huge lines have formed since Friday both in the port of Dover for those taking car ferries across the English Channel and in nearby Folkestone on routes to the Eurotunnel that runs under the Channel into France.
Eurotunnel said drivers still had to wait at least 90 minutes to check-in for the rail shuttle on Sunday.
However, congestion at the port eased somewhat compared to the past two days, when it took several hours to clear a long backlog of traffic as tens of thousands of people went on vacation with a large amount of cargo trucks.
Since Britain left the European Union in 2020, British travelers face stricter border checks when traveling to the continent. In Dover it is performed on the English side of the Channel by a French cast.
British officials and politicians blamed the chaos on a shortage of staff at border posts, a charge the French denied.
The Port of Dover said the checkpoints were “fully manned” on Sunday. As of Sunday morning, port authorities said, 72,000 passengers had been handled over the long weekend.
The port’s chief executive, Doug Bannister, said the past few days had been “extremely challenging” and thanked passengers and the local community for their patience.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she had a “good talk” about travel delays with her French counterpart Catherine Colonna on Saturday.
AOQ