This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65143093
The article has changed 20 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Dover ferry passengers warned of long delays | Dover ferry passengers warned of long delays |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The Port of Dover said border control were experiencing 'severe delays' on Friday | The Port of Dover said border control were experiencing 'severe delays' on Friday |
| A critical incident has been declared at Dover, as coach passengers face "lengthy delays" at the start of the Easter getaway due to bad weather and long processing times in France. | |
| Around 70 coaches were waiting at the port to be processed early on Saturday, a port official told the BBC. | |
| One passenger said he had been told to expect delays of up to 14 hours. | |
| An earlier port statement said other tourist traffic and freight vehicles were moving "as usual" for peak times. | |
| P&O Ferries and DFDS Seaways also reported delays to Channel ferry crossings - with DFDS saying strong winds were adding to the problem. | |
| In its Friday evening update, the port apologised for the "lengthy delays" to journeys and said it was "working hard" with ferry operators and other partners to resolve the issues. | |
| Coach companies were urged to contact their chosen ferry operators to get the latest information. | |
| Passengers complained that they had spent Friday stranded, with one parent tweeting that they and their children - who arrived via coach at midday - were still waiting for a place on a ferry at 21:00 BST. | |
| Student Oliver Quigley-Brown, who was travelling to France for a university ski trip, told the BBC he had been warned he faced a delay of 10 hours on top of the four he had already waited. | |
| He said he had seen "a lot of stressed teachers" at the port, estimating there could be "thousands" of people from school and university groups stuck there. | |
| Authorities had provided them with snacks and water, Mr Quigley-Brown said, but he added: "I don't they'd anticipated the kind of delays we're seeing." | |
| P&O Ferries confirmed in a tweet at 21:00 that it was providing refreshments to passengers waiting in the buffer zone at the entrance of the port. | |
| DFDS UK also tweeted that services to France were running with severe delays, and that passengers would be transferred to "the first available departure". | DFDS UK also tweeted that services to France were running with severe delays, and that passengers would be transferred to "the first available departure". |
| A spokesperson for P&O said the queues were "a result of bad weather causing delays to sailings, combined with high volumes of traffic, and particularly coach groups". | A spokesperson for P&O said the queues were "a result of bad weather causing delays to sailings, combined with high volumes of traffic, and particularly coach groups". |
| "We apologise for the wait times and have put on an extra sailing this evening to help clear the backlog," it added. | "We apologise for the wait times and have put on an extra sailing this evening to help clear the backlog," it added. |
| As well as the situation at Dover, there are fears of disrupted Easter getaways due to strikes affecting London's Heathrow Airport. | |
| Hundreds of security officers in the Unite union have begun 10 days of industrial action over pay - though the airport said it was operating "as normal" on Friday. | |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Ferries | Ferries |
| P&O ferries | P&O ferries |
| Dover | Dover |