UK and France play blame game over border delays
Holidaymakers stuck in their cars for hours as ‘heightened security checks’ cause traffic chaos
‘Everyone who is in the gridlock deserves an explanation for these appalling delays’
A DIPLOMATIC row broke out last night after Britain and France blamed each other for chaos to British holidaymakers trying to cross the Channel. Hundreds of families faced “appalling delays” on Good Friday as a result of “heightened security checks” at the French border, the UK authorities said.
Last night, Stansted Airport cancelled all outgoing flights as major disruption was brought about by a fire to a shuttle bus outside the main terminal. No one was hurt.
France denied its border force had caused the delays and blamed Britain instead. A French embassy spokesman said “tightened security by UK forces on trucks getting out of the UK” caused the problem, along with long ticket queues at Dover.
But the Home Office hit back, saying: “It’s definitely the French’s fault. We were told on Thursday night their border force would be carrying out 100 per cent checks on all traffic.” The spokesman said this was “unusual”.
Ferry operators warned their passengers they could be stuck at Dover for hours. Asked why the French were carrying out extra checks over the Easter weekend, a spokesman for the Port of Dover said: “They can do it at any point, and they do.”
Charlie Elphicke, the MP for Dover, said: “The families stuck in long queues waiting to cross the Channel will rightly ask why the French brought in heightened checks on the busiest of days.” Highways England said roads approaching Dover were jammed as a knock-on effect. Ferries were held open for as long as possible, but some passengers missed their ferries.
Meanwhile, people trying to travel by car on the Eurotunnel at Folkestone faced delays of up to an hour due to an earlier cancellation caused by a technical fault on a carrier.
While those who chose to stay in the country over Easter will have avoided the delays, they will have to cope with another cold snap instead. The Met Office issued yellow warnings for snow across most of the UK on Friday, with Scotland, the north of England and areas of higher ground most likely to be affected over the Easter weekend.
Yellow warnings for rain were issued for south west England, Wales and the West Midlands, with spray and risk of flooding affecting journey times.