Dover queues – live: Roads ‘extremely busy’ as passengers urged to bring supplies

Huge queue of cars stretching back from Dover port

Huge queues of holidaymakers are waiting on “extremely busy roads” close to the Port of Dover amid warnings of 90-minute delays.

Cars could be seen snaking from the Kent port to the nearby town after 11am on Good Friday, with lorries thought to be stretching back further.

P&O Ferries and operator DFDS were reporting delays of between 60 and 90 minutes to the port’s entrance while Irish Ferries advised people to allow up to three hours before their travel time.

Drivers have been advised to bring supplies in case they are left waiting for hours, with queues expected to lengthen in the early afternoon.

Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “First of all, the weather’s clear, the ferries are sailing well, and all that sort of stuff, this weekend was always scheduled to be about 30% lighter than last weekend, today being the busier day.

“What we did is we worked with our ferry operators to try and spread the demand across the three days rather than all on this day.

“I know that that’s challenging for the coach industry because they have itineraries that they want to maintain, but they’ve worked with the ferry operators to be able to do that, and that’s been successful.

“We’ve also installed a new facility to expand our processing at the borders for coaches, that’s operational, I just saw one goes through in just shy of 10 minutes.

“It’s going to be a busy day, we’re running probably about an hour to an hour and a half to get through border controls at the moment, and we will peak through probably early afternoon, and then it will start to slow down after that.”

Maryam Zakir-Hussain7 April 2023 12:23

Calais calling

Unbelievably, barely six hours after leaving London on the first day of the busiest Easter weekend since before the Covid pandemic, I am sipping a grand creme on the terrace of the Cafe de l’Hovercraft in central Calais.

The omens did not look good for abandoning the bus journey to Brussels for which I had a ticket. In theory I should now be beginning a long journey via Lille to the Belgian capital, my folding bike securely stowed in the hold of the Flixbus.

But one of the people to whom I talked on the ship turned out to be the sole cyclist on board. He explained the procedure for debarquement in Calais – which is extremely complicated. Cyclists wait until all the vehicles have left the ship.

Then you are escorted by a security detail on a long and complicated journey through the port to the exit. This has to be booked in advance, of course.

But with my new friend already signed up, I took a chance and asked Hussein, the ever-friendly and helpful coach driver, if I might retrieve my bike. He agreed, and I became the second cyclist on board.

On the car deck, one of the French deckhands said, “Where did you come from? You didn’t join at Dover.”

I explained it was une histoire longue, and he waved me away with a smile. The sun is beaming, too, and I am now figuring out my next move.

(Simon Calder)

Simon Calder7 April 2023 15:52

Rail passenger facing queues says boarding St Pancras was ‘mayhem'

A rail passenger facing the queues in London has said boarding at St Pancras was “like the last train out of Saigon” amid arguments and shoving.

Ruaridh Pritchard, a writer from the capital, was delayed for three hours as a result of crowds and service reductions on his way to Stockport, Greater Manchester, for an Easter weekend with friends.

“St Pancras was mayhem - limited crowd control,” the 33-year-old told PA.

“Staff are doing the best they could under that circumstances. Lots of people arguing and pushing - it was like the last train out of Saigon.

“(It has) kind of put a dampener on the weekend, I’ve lost half a day of Easter.”

(PA)

Maryam Zakir-Hussain7 April 2023 15:18

J’arrive

The DFDS ferry arrived in Calais on schedule at 3.35pm after a smooth crossing.

She sailed south to Cap Gris Nes and then east along the shore, remarkably close to the beach and past the town, to the port.

She is docked next to Irish Ferries’ Isle of Inisheer and P&O Ferries Pride of Kent – both of which are flagged to Limassol in Cyprus.

Now to see if I can persuade the driver to let me, with my folding bike, abandon the bus.

(Google Maps)

(Simon Calder)

Simon Calder7 April 2023 14:54

Lord of the seas: Simon Calder boards ferry

After a relatively smooth coach journey from Victoria, Simon Calder has boarded the ship at Dover to Calais.

(Simon Calder)

On board the ship, the passengers – most of whom are, like me, travelling by coach and ferry – are in exuberant mood.

A Rugby squad from Chiswick in west London set off at 8am today on a trip to the Netherlands. Most of them are dressed as characters from Lord of the Rings – including Elrond, Half-elf, Lord of Rivendell.

He is also known as Ben Osgood, and told The Independent: “We are off to Amsterdam for a rugby tour this weekend. It’s been very good. We got jumped on a coach in South West London about eight o’clock this morning and it’s a rugby tour, so we have a lot of fun on that coach. It’s been fantastic.

“We probably waited for maybe half an hour, 45 minutes [at passport control in Dover]. The issues have been resolved, from our point of view. No, no major issues.”

(Simon Calder)

Simon Calder7 April 2023 14:35

P&O Ferries ‘sailing on time’

P&O Ferries said their Larne and Cairnryan routes are “sailing on time”.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain7 April 2023 13:40

Holidaymakers warned of 90-minute waits at Port of Dover as passengers urged to bring supplies

Easter holidaymakers have been warned of delays of up to 90 minutes at the Port of Dover, while car traffic is expected to double on some major road networks.

After people were left stuck on coaches for up to 18 hours last weekend in chaos at Dover, officials stressed that “extra measures” were in place for Easter, but warned people to bring supplies in case of delays as the holiday rush kicked off with “high volumes of traffic”.

Andy Gregory reports:

Maryam Zakir-Hussain7 April 2023 13:20

Watch Simon Calder as he gives advice for travelling over Easter

Our travel correspondent Simon Calder is making his way to Calais from Dover. Here is his advice for people travelling this Easter weekend:

Maryam Zakir-Hussain7 April 2023 12:50

Clear run

Our travel correspondent Simon Calder reports live from Kent

In an astonishing display of efficiency, the entire coach of around 50 people passes through French border control in just eight minutes.

The bus stopped outside “The Shed” as the coach hall is informally known, and passengers were invited to proceed through the hard EU border that is squeezed into the Port of Dover.

All three desks are staffed: two for European Union and Swiss passport holders, one for the rest of the world (including the UK).

The EU queue clears quickly: the Police aux Frontieres are legally allowed only conduct a brief verification that the passport is valid and that it belongs to the passenger.

Officers summon British travellers to the fast lane, where they inspect and stamp passports.

Meanwhile the following coach is being corralled so that as soon as the final passenger (which happens to be me) is clear, the next group can step forward.

Simon Calder7 April 2023 12:41

In the port

Remarkably, a line of coaches – including ours – has been given priority and waved through into the Port of Dover, beneath the White Cliffs.

We sped past the long queue of cars and trucks queuing for frontier control and have been asked to prepare to leave the coach to go into the coach hall.

“Everybody step out of the bus,” please. It is 11.54am. I will see how long it takes to clear a coachload of passengers.

Simon Calder7 April 2023 12:39