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Eurotunnel resuming normal service after delays | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Eurotunnel services are returning to normal on Sunday after work overnight to clear a backlog following disruption caused by migrants. | |
There were delays of up to five hours on Saturday after migrants entered its terminal in France on Friday night. | There were delays of up to five hours on Saturday after migrants entered its terminal in France on Friday night. |
Eurotunnel says there is now a 30-minute waiting time to board in Kent. Services from Calais are on schedule. | Eurotunnel says there is now a 30-minute waiting time to board in Kent. Services from Calais are on schedule. |
Passengers have been advised to arrive on time when they travel on Sunday, rather than turning up early. | Passengers have been advised to arrive on time when they travel on Sunday, rather than turning up early. |
'Migrant activity' | 'Migrant activity' |
Eurotunnel services have been hit by strikes and migrants trying to stow away on lorries, in their attempts to cross from France to the UK, for several weeks. | Eurotunnel services have been hit by strikes and migrants trying to stow away on lorries, in their attempts to cross from France to the UK, for several weeks. |
Shortly before midnight on Friday, Eurotunnel briefly suspended services after migrants accessed the Eurotunnel terminal on the French side. | Shortly before midnight on Friday, Eurotunnel briefly suspended services after migrants accessed the Eurotunnel terminal on the French side. |
The operator said this "migrant activity" caused a backlog of delays, on top of traffic issues, which it worked through on Saturday and overnight into Sunday. | The operator said this "migrant activity" caused a backlog of delays, on top of traffic issues, which it worked through on Saturday and overnight into Sunday. |
The latest travel updates: | The latest travel updates: |
John Keefe, Eurotunnel spokesman, told the BBC a normal service was now being run and any remaining delays were being caused by the large volume of traffic to the Eurotunnel site, in part because of Operation Stack. | John Keefe, Eurotunnel spokesman, told the BBC a normal service was now being run and any remaining delays were being caused by the large volume of traffic to the Eurotunnel site, in part because of Operation Stack. |
The operation involves the parking - or stacking - of lorries on the M20 in Kent when cross-Channel services are disrupted. | The operation involves the parking - or stacking - of lorries on the M20 in Kent when cross-Channel services are disrupted. |
It means the M20 is closed to non-freight traffic between junctions eight and 11. | |
Lorries have now been parked on the motorway for a total of 19 days over the past three months. | |
It is hoped the remainder of the backlog will be cleared on Sunday morning. | |
Passengers have been advised to check for traffic updates before travelling and not turn up early, to avoid too many people crowding the terminal. | Passengers have been advised to check for traffic updates before travelling and not turn up early, to avoid too many people crowding the terminal. |
On the issue of migrants, Mr Keefe said Eurotunnel had already spent 13m euros (£9.2m) on security in the first six months of the year - more than its usual 10m euros (£7.1m) annual budget. | On the issue of migrants, Mr Keefe said Eurotunnel had already spent 13m euros (£9.2m) on security in the first six months of the year - more than its usual 10m euros (£7.1m) annual budget. |