12- HOUR ferry wait hell
12-hour queues to reach ferries
1 French official checks passports
THOUSANDS of British holidaymakers were stranded in traffic jams of up to 10 miles outside Dover yesterday as a row flared up over France beefing up security checks.
Families languished in 30C heat for up to 12 hours and Kent Police were forced to close the A20 and hand out 11,000 bottles of water.
As of tonight, it is expected some 250,000 people will have been affected by the chaos since Friday.
France tightened checks in Calais in the wake of the Nice terror attack – in which 84 people watching a Bastille Day fireworks display were mown down by a lorry. Jittery authorities acted ahead of a fireworks display at Sangatte last night expected to attract 7,000 people, which it was feared could become another target.
But angry officials in Dover said French counterparts had failed to beef up staff levels along with the checks.
It was claimed there was a point at which one Frenchman was checking hundreds of coaches while just three of seven booths were manned.
The British Government had been given advance warning there may be disruption and there was criticism of the way it had handled the situation.
A Port of Dover spokesman said in a statement: “We have been experiencing an exceptional security situation at French border controls.
Frustration
“The Port of Dover raised concerns over French manning levels with the UK Government earlier this week and the Government, in turn, raised the issue with its French counterparts.
“French Border Authorities have been operating at a heightened level of security. However, French border control booths were seriously understaffed overnight with only three available for tourists out of a potential seven. At one stage, only one French officer was available to check passengers on hundreds of coaches, with each coach taking 40 minutes to process. The Port shares and appreciates the frustration.”
But a spokesman for the Prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais hit back: “Since the Nice attacks, our priority has been to strengthen vigilance and security measures.
“Border controls have been strengthened, especially at Eurotunnel and the port of Calais.”
As Sangatte prepared for its display following the massacre by Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel on July 14, tensions were high. A Calais town hall spokesman said: “It’s a delicate situation, and we are determined to ensure the safety of all those attending the display.
“This means especially strict checks on all lorries in the area, and especially controls on vehicles which are particularly heavy. There may be some staff shortages but the main reason for these delays is increased security. Everything is to ensure public safety.”
MP for Dover and Deal, Charlie Elphicke, was last night locked in talks to resolve the problem – and blasted Westminster.
The Tory said: “The Department for Transport and Home Office knew there would be heightened security checks. They should’ve been prepared. They weren’t. The Government needs to take control of the situation. The families stuck in this traffic nightmare are owed an apology. I will be doing all I can to press the French to have more officers doing security checks.
“Yet this does not detract from the very poor planning by all involved.
“The extra French border checks are no excuse for poor transport management.” Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham added: “The Government needs to get on the phone to the French authorities and get a grip on this outrageous situation.
“Our new Prime Minister must urgently explain what representations she and the Home Secretary are making to their French counterparts tonight. The Home Office and Department for Transport have been caught ill-prepared once again.”
Highways England warned that delays of up to 10 hours were likely to continue and police said the misery would last until at least Monday.
People fed up of waiting in their vehicles were seen enjoying picnics at the roadside while children played
football in the carriageway. Bill Gateman, who was driving to Île de Ré, said: “It looked like the French security guys had just abandoned their posts and gone home.
“You didn’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to reckon it would be pretty busy this weekend.”
Pete Horton, 31, wife Anna and daughter Elsie, five, got on the road at 5am yesterday morning from Warwickshire to travel to Belgium. He said: “It’s bad, it’s just really claustro- phobic in the car with the heat. It’s just horrible not knowing how long the delays are going to be. Everyone is pretty tired.” Renata Roslak and her husband had left their Birmingham home at 7pm on Friday and had still not reached the port. She said: “It’s horrendous. We have maybe moved half a mile in eight hours. There isn’t even somewhere to turn round and head home. “I phoned the police to find out what was happening. We were told that there weren’t enough staff to cope with the extra security checks, so ferries are leaving but they aren’t full.”
French government official Xavier Czerwinsk said last night: “The French border police have been providing the maximum number of officers available. But it has been an exceptionally busy weekend on the British side and it is an exceptional security situation here due to the state of emergency.”