Travellers warned of two-hour queues at Dover ahead of ‘extremely busy’ weekend
Travellers were warned of hour-long bottlenecks at Dover as thousands head to the port ahead of an “extremely busy” weekend.
Ferry operators told customers to allow plenty of time for check-in, urging passengers to have all travel documents ready following last weekend’s “48 hours of hell.”
“Please allow 120 minutes to complete Border control and the check-in process at [the] port,” said DFDS while Irish Ferries announced its buffer zone was in use for tourists.
Meanwhile, National Highways told motorists “in and around Kent” to plan ahead as the weekend will be extremely busy.
“Operation Brock contraflow remains in place on the M20 and is part of a series of measures to improve Kent’s resilience and ensure the smooth flow of traffic through the region in the event of disruption to services across the English Channel,” said a spokesperson.
Congestion is expected to reach its peak between 11am and 3pm of Friday and Saturday, as the AA issued an “amber traffic warning.”
Traffic jams are expected on roads to Dover and the Eurotunnel such as the M5, A303 and A30.
“With holiday let switchover day starting on Friday mixed with train strikes and a huge weekend of sport, we are concerned that drivers will experience delays across the network with the south of England particularly vulnerable,” said AA’s head of roads policy Jack Cousens.
“All eyes will be on Dover and Folkestone, but we believe changes have been made throughout the week and we will keep our fingers crossed for a smoother trip across the Channel.”