Travellers heading to France through the Port of Dover on a popular summer morning are facing lengthy waits of up to two hours due to increased border checks by French guards.
A nine-lane-wide queue extended alongside the iconic white cliffs on Saturday morning, causing delays for thousands of holidaymakers.
On Friday, over 35,000 people passed through the Port of Dover, with even higher numbers expected over the weekend. Many UK residents are escaping the country for vacations abroad, seeking warmer weather as rain is predicted for the upcoming weeks in the UK. However, holiday destinations across Europe are grappling with wildfire warnings and ongoing heatwave conditions.
Port of Dover officials urged travellers not to arrive more than three hours before their scheduled sail time and assured them that they would be accommodated on the next available sailing upon reaching check-in. At 7 am, the average processing time to the border was reported to be 120 minutes, following the peak travel plan for the busiest times.
As the morning progressed, the wait time dropped to approximately 90-120 minutes, but traffic congestion persisted, with Google Maps showing dark red lines indicating slow traffic extending into the town and along the A20 nearly to Folkestone.
Drivers expressed their frustration by honking their horns, and an ambulance with flashing blue lights temporarily encountered traffic but eventually made its way through. By 9:30 am, officials reported a further reduction in wait times, urging travellers to use main routes to avoid additional delays.
With this morning being one of the most popular travel times throughout the summer, authorities at the Port of Dover reminded travellers to complete border checks by Police Aux Frontieres before boarding their ferries and emphasized using main routes to ensure smoother travel experiences. Photo by Barry Davis, Wikimedia commons.