Delays to Port of Dover Christmas breaks due to IT issues in Calais

Long queues of travelers have formed at the port of Dover, attributed to computer problems at French border controls.

The situation has been described as “absolute chaos” by one traveller, and images from the port show a long queue of stopped vehicles.

Eurotunnel also experienced delays at its Folkstone terminal on Saturday morning, at the start of a weekend in which Christmas getaways are expected to peak.

Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, said: “There are still some ongoing (IT) issues, which are causing increased wait times while traffic is processed.

“We are working with our partner agencies as they attempt to resolve these issues.”

At 11:00 GMT, the port, which is expected to pass through some 30,000 cars until Sunday, reported that queuing cars were taking an hour to enter the site.

One traveler posted on X: “Horrible experience in Dover port this morning. Absolute chaos.

“Traffic at a standstill for an hour. Worst start to a vacation imaginable. We just missed the boat. Still stuck. Kids in the car.”

One local resident told the BBC that the town was “really rammed”.

The port advised passengers not to arrive more than two hours before their departure.

He said if customers miss their scheduled journey due to wait times, their ferry operator will put them on the next available crossing.

Long queues have been seen on the roads leading to Dover.

A port spokesperson asked all port-bound traffic to remain on main roads “to allow the Dover community to travel to festive events and finish their Christmas shopping in the city”.

Eurotunnel said it had a waiting time of 60 minutes for goods and 30 minutes for cars at its Folkestone terminal due to “high demand”.

Meanwhile, public transport operators are having trouble reaching the port.

Bus company Stagecoach said in a statement: “Due to heavy traffic at the docks, the service will not be able to serve Eastern Docks at this time.”