New rules for tourists were brought in earlier this year.
France brought in border checks (Image: Getty)
The French authorities have suspended the new EU border checks amid chaos at Dover this morning as waits of four and a half hours hit travellers. Over 18,000 travellers are expected this weekend, and huge queues have formed as the new EU entry/exit system adds significant delays for passengers.
The new EU entry/exit system has already spelt chaos in other parts of Europe. Passengers on their way to the UK from Milan, for example, were previously stranded in the Italian city after they missed their flight due to the long queues that formed at border checks. Other airports have ditched the new system as it was causing chaos for travellers and airport staff.
The boss of the Port of Dover has now said that French authorities have suspended the new EU border checks to allow traffic to run more smoothly.
This morning, drivers faced wait times of around 4 and a half hours to get onto boats. Meanwhile, lorries were being held at the outskirts of the town as thousands of cars queued up at the port.
Kent and Medway Resilience Forum’s Tony Howe said: “What this means is it adds a bit of extra time to each car, each passenger going through to cross the channel, added to which it is going to be very busy with tourists anyway.
“It’s likely to be seen what we saw at Easter on Good Friday, where we also had traffic backing out of Eurotunnel onto the M20.”
In its most recent update, the Port of Dover said: “There is currently a 50-minute processing time for tourist traffic in the Buffer Zone. The surrounding roads are still very congested, with queues of approximately 2 hours to access the Port. Due to this congestion, traffic exiting the Port is being directed onto the A2 only.”
Earlier this morning, port bosses explained that this May Half Term is the first peak period at the port since the new EU entry/exit system was implemented, so delays were expected.
“Our teams are working hard to get everyone through Border Control and Check-In as quickly as possible,” a post by the Port of Dover on X reads. “Please treat all Port Staff with kindness and respect. Unacceptable behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated.”