The latest spate of serious disruption around Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover began on Friday, when tourists flocked to the ports to begin their summer holidays after schools had closed for summer.
A surge in traffic had been predicted, hence the decision by the Kent Resilience Forum to restart the use of the unpopular Operation Brock traffic measure that sees lorries queue up on the M20. Brock has been in operation since July 10th and is expected to stay for most of the holiday period.
Until recently, it had mostly been lorry drivers who had to bear the brunt of the queues. However, last weekend regular motorists also got to experience the kind of disruption lorry drivers have had to deal with for some time.
The bottleneck causing the delays is said to have been the French passport control booths on the English side of the border. On one hand, the checks take longer due to the UK not being part of the European Union, while on the other, there are reports that the booths were not fully staffed despite the surge in cross-border traffic.
As the BBC reports, the UK government said French authorities failed to provide enough border staff to check passports. Tory leadership candidate Liz Truss has also said similar.
However, French Transport Minister Clement Beaune denied this was the case and stressed the extra border checks entailed by Brexit.
An industry figure who also believes Brexit has had impact is Mark Simmonds, director of policy at the British Ports Association. He told the BBC: “There’s a harder border than there was before. We’ve been saying for years that extra checks would have an impact on capacity at certain ports.”
Activists Led By Donkeys also took aim at Brexit with its latest stunt, broadcasting quotes from Brexiteers saying there would be no queues at Dover – in the middle of a massive lorry queue leading to the Port of Dover.
The problems in Kent have once again seen hauliers from many countries caught up in the delays. Commenting on the situation, Eugene Drennan, President of the Irish Haulage Association, urged Irish road transport firms to avoid using Dover:
“Our advice would be to any haulier, or any Irish person travelling privately, to avoid Dover and avoid that southern corridor into France, it’s just too troublesome this time of year,” said Drennan.
As RTE News reports, Drennan added that “something must be done about freight for southern Irish registered trucks,” which appeared to be a call for a special lane to be introduced for EU trucks at Dover.
In an update on the situation yesterday, Doug Bannister, CEO of the Port of Dover, said:
“I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has turned this situation around, from the French and UK authorities to our ferry operators, Kent partners and our own port staff. I am also incredibly grateful for the support and understanding that our customers and community have shown us during this challenging period. We all now owe it to them to ensure our summer plan is delivered in full for the rest of the holiday period.”
As it stands, DFDS’ last update states there are queues of around 1 hour at border control. Eurotunnel’s latest update estimates border crossing times of 2-hours in the direction of France and 3 hours in the direction of the UK.
DOVER PORT UPDATE | There are currently queues of around an hour at Border controls, please allow a minimum of 120 minutes before your departure to complete all controls. DFDS check in is free flowing. Keep an eye on this feed for more updates. pic.twitter.com/JJ30waWchP
— DFDS UK Updates (@DFDSUKUpdates) July 25, 2022
Meanwhile, the RAC has taken aim at the Operation Brock traffic management measure while also calling for more lorry parking in Kent.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, is quoted in several UK media outlets as saying successive governments have failed when it comes to lorry parking in Kent.
“Even when the new post-Brexit customs regime has bedded down, ferry services can still fall prey to foul weather and industrial action. Successive governments have failed to grasp the nettle and invest in the scale of extra lorry parking – with facilities for drivers – instead relying on the inadequate solution of turning a motorway into a lorry park, with the consequent massive disruption that brings to the surrounding area. It’s high time we replaced the sticking plaster with a resilient solution worthy of the name,” said Mr Gooding.
Photo © Copyright John Baker and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence (illustrative image)