Holidaymakers at Europe's busiest ferry port say they've queued for 6 hours to complete border checks because only 6 of the usual 12 passport booths are open
- Passengers say they've waited six hours at the Port of Dover to complete security checks, per BBC News.
- The port and the MP of Dover have blamed French authorities for not providing enough resources.
Travelers say they've waited six hours to complete border checks at the busiest ferry port in Europe because only half of the passport booths are open, according to BBC News.
The UK's Port of Dover, where cross-channel ferries sail to France, is putting the blame on French authorities for disrupting travelers' vacations, according to a statement it released Friday morning. BBC News reported that out of 12 passport booths run by the French authorities, only six were open.
Doug Bannister, the port's CEO, declared to BBC News the disruption was a "critical incident."
"I'm booked onto 8am ferry from Dover and it's total gridlock," one Twitter user posted. "Moved 50 metres per hour. At this rate it'll be 34 hours before I get to the port! I have a screaming toddler and 3 month old."
Another person stuck in the traffic at Dover told BBC News that "everything has gone pear shaped" because of the long wait, despite arriving at the port two hours early for a ferry.
P&O Ferries warned travelers that there were queues lasting between four and five hours to reach border checks at Dover port. Passengers should arrive at least five hours before their booking to allow enough time to pass through security checks, it said.
The Port of Dover said in a statement: "We are deeply frustrated that the resource at the French border overnight and early this morning has been woefully inadequate to meet our predicted demand."
The port accused France's Police Aux Frontieres (PAF) of providing "insufficient" resources and said it had "fallen far short" of what is needed for services to run smoothly.
"French Border Officers didn't turn up for work at the passport controls as needed," Natalie Elphicke, member of parliament for Dover, tweeted. "This has caused massive delays."
Police Aux Frontieres could not immediately be contacted for comment.