THEY THINK IT’S ALL DOVER.. Now ferries hit by 10-mile tailback in big getaway weekend washout
GRIDLOCKED lorries and cars crawled along in 10-mile queues for cross-Channel ferries yesterday as yet more travel chaos plagued swathes of Britain.
The delay of up to four hours on the A20 – and other routes around Dover in Kent – was just part of the continuing disruption and misery for road and rail users.
The record-breaking heatwave of midweek turned into a washout as people attempted a weekend getaway.
Officials at the Port of Dover blamed the road congestion on the high volume of holiday traffic and advised travellers to allow extra time to reach ferries.
But one would-be passenger tweeted in despair: “I’ve abandoned my trip to Germany – not worth it.”
Parts of the rail network suffered a third day of crisis as services were hit by delays and cancellations due to a combination of wet weather, emergency repair work and a strike. Thunderstorms and torrential downpours led to warnings of flash floods in some areas.
Train passengers hoping to travel on the London St Pancras-NottinghamSheffield route were warned to expect
a “significantly reduced” service till tomorrow as engineers try to fix overhead power cables damaged in the capital last Thursday during the UK’s hottest July day on record.
East Midlands Trains’ boss Jake Kelly apologised for the disruption, adding: “Our advice for customers is to avoid travelling on this route wherever possible and to make alternative arrangements.”
The company also had to operate a revised timetable plus coach services on several local routes as the RMT union staged a second successive Saturday walkout over pay and conditions.
Customers of Thameslink were also told that the cable repairs would affect services between Sutton, south London, and St Albans, Herts, in both directions for much of the weekend.
Network Rail said the heatwave had caused “tremendously difficulties”.
On flights, Gatwick Airport warned that “adverse” weather across Europe may cause potential disruption.
It advised passengers to check with their airlines for the latest information.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for much of England till this afternoon. It said heavy rain in the North and East would move slowly west – but temperatures are expected to be as low as 19C (66F).