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Theresa May to hold crisis talks on ferry strikes with French counterpart Theresa May to hold crisis talks on ferry strikes with French counterpart
(about 4 hours later)
Theresa May is due to hold talks in Paris about the continuing cross-Channel disruption caused by striking French ferry workers and the deepening crisis of migrants camped in Calais.Theresa May is due to hold talks in Paris about the continuing cross-Channel disruption caused by striking French ferry workers and the deepening crisis of migrants camped in Calais.
Cross-Channel ferries have resumed service but the main motorway to Dover remains closed amid continuing delays at the port of Calais because of industrial action by French workers at MyFerryLink. Cross-Channel ferry services have resumed but the main motorway to Dover remains closed and there were continuing delays at the port of Calais because of industrial action by French workers at MyFerryLink.
Thousands of lorry drivers are parked on the closed M20 for a fourth day as Kent police implement phase four of Operation Stack, an emergency measure to hold lorries on both sides of the motorway in an effort to avoid gridlock. Thousands of lorry drivers were parked on the closed M20 for a fourth day as Kent police implemented phase four of Operation Stack, an emergency measure to hold lorries on both sides of the motorway in an effort to avoid gridlock.
The home secretary will meet her French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve, on Thursday after the UK Road Haulage Association called for the army to be sent in to break the strike.The home secretary will meet her French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve, on Thursday after the UK Road Haulage Association called for the army to be sent in to break the strike.
On Wednesday evening, P&O ferries resumed a limited service after the port of Calais began allowing one ferry at a time to enter the port. Officials in Dover said still they still did not know when the strike would end. Meanwhile, MPs in Kent are seeking an urgent meeting with the transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, about severe disruption on the county’s roads.
Helen Grant, the MP for Maidstone, said the group wanted a nationwide response. “We need a national procedure in place to prevent the confluence of lorries from all over the country creating a logjam in Kent every time there is disruption to Channel crossings,” she said. “This is a national problem, not a Kent problem, but it is Kent that takes it on the chin every time.”
On Wednesday evening P&O ferries resumed a limited service after the port of Calais began allowing one ferry at a time to enter the port. Officials in Dover said they still did not know when the strike would end.
We sincerely regret the impact to the travelling public, freight & the Dover Community of a Calais situation which is beyond our control.We sincerely regret the impact to the travelling public, freight & the Dover Community of a Calais situation which is beyond our control.
The disruption began on Monday when MyFerryLink workers staged a wildcat strike in protest at expected job cuts in the French port city. The Channel tunnel reopened on Tuesday afternoon following a three-hour shutdown. The disruption began on Monday when MyFerryLink workers staged a wildcat strike in protest at expected job cuts. The Channel tunnel reopened on Tuesday afternoon following a three-hour shutdown.
On Wednesday, police and rescue workers from HM Coastguard distributed emergency food and water supplies to drivers stuck in vehicles on the hottest July day on record.On Wednesday, police and rescue workers from HM Coastguard distributed emergency food and water supplies to drivers stuck in vehicles on the hottest July day on record.
P&O Ferries’ chief executive, Helen Deeble, hit out about the ferry disruptions caused by the strike. She pointed out that P&O Ferries employs thousands of people on both sides of the Channel and “this damaging and dangerous industrial action is now putting those jobs at risk”. P&O Ferries’ chief executive, Helen Deeble, hit out about the ferry disruptions caused by the strike. She pointed out that P&O Ferries employed thousands of people on both sides of the Channel, and said: “This damaging and dangerous industrial action is now putting those jobs at risk.”
Crew members and catering staff on MyFerryLink services announced the strike after Eurotunnel, which owns the ships, sold the cross-Channel service to rival operator DFDS. Crew members and catering staff on MyFerryLink services announced the strike after Eurotunnel, which owns the ships, sold the cross-Channel service to rival operator DFDS. Up to 600 jobs, including 70 in Dover, are under threat.
The sale came after a competition authority ruling and left up to 600 jobs, including 70 in Dover, under threat. The cabinet minister Oliver Letwin chaired a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee to discuss the situation in Calais, and David Cameron spoke by phone with François Hollande, the French president.
Cabinet minister Oliver Letwin chaired a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee to discuss the situation in Calais, and the UK prime minister, David Cameron, spoke by phone with the French president, François Hollande. Jim Barker, a TNT lorry driver who spoke to the Guardian about his frustration at being stuck in the M20 queue, finally made it to Paris on Wednesday night. He said his journey from Northampton had taken 41 hours.
Jim Barker, a TNT lorry driver who spoke to the Guardian about his frustration at being stuck in the queue, finally made it to Paris on Wednesday night. He said his journey from Northampton to the French capital took 41 hours.