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The Telegraph
The Telegraph
National
Hayley Dixon

Shun France, tourists told as Folkestone becomes new 'hotspot of holiday hell'

Traffic builds up at the Eurotunnel in Folkestone on Sunday as travel chaos continued for a third-say running - Stuart Brock/LNP
Traffic builds up at the Eurotunnel in Folkestone on Sunday as travel chaos continued for a third-say running - Stuart Brock/LNP

British holidaymakers should shun France if the country does not “welcome” them, a former minister has said as tourists faced further delays.

The Channel Tunnel became the new “hotspot of holiday hell” on Sunday as families queued for 21 hours to get to the train at Folkestone.

It came as Dover finally managed to clear two days of backlogs which had been blamed on there not being enough French border officials to carry out checks.

Amid warnings that delays are likely to be repeated throughout the summer, John Redwood MP, a former Cabinet minister, said: “If France carries on blocking entry people should go somewhere else on holiday.

“It’s no fun to spend seven hours in a traffic jam. Glad my summer holiday is booked for England. Go somewhere that welcomes you.”

Children play along the roadside as families were forced to queue for 21 hours for the tunnel - Stuart Brock/LNP
Children play along the roadside as families were forced to queue for 21 hours for the tunnel - Stuart Brock/LNP

Thérèse Coffey, the Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, also criticised the actions of the French, saying that this weekend’s delays were “unacceptable”.

She told Times Radio that it is “a lot harder to get in and out of France than it is to get in and out of Portugal” and said that systems had worked “a lot more smoothly elsewhere”.

Queues at the Port of Dover were reduced to an hour on Sunday, after two days of holidaymakers having to endure gridlocked roads and lengthy waits as the summer getaway began.

However, with the M20 coastbound still closed to non-freight traffic as part of Operation Brock to manage traffic, National Highways warned on Sunday of “severe delays” in Kent for people heading towards Eurotunnel.

Folkestone was dubbed the 'holiday hotspot of hell' on Sunday as queues built up - Stuart Brock/LNP
Folkestone was dubbed the 'holiday hotspot of hell' on Sunday as queues built up - Stuart Brock/LNP

Jack Cousens, the head of roads policy for the AA, said Eurotunnel-bound motorists are trying to find alternative routes and warned that “many are waiting for several hours” to get to the terminal.

He said: “Dover has now recovered, but Folkestone has become the hotspot of holiday hell.

“Drivers heading to Folkestone need to be prepared. We have seen that many are waiting for several hours before they get to the terminal, so all the pre-journey vehicle checks are key along with carrying plenty of food, water and entertainment for younger travellers.”

On Sunday night, the AA said there were signs the gridlock around Folkestone was easing, as the time to reach the check-in desk at the Eurotunnel terminal dipped under two hours.

Kent county council highways manager Toby Howe warned that there were likely to be further delays on Monday and next weekend and "it's a possibility" that it will continue over the summer holidays.

Drivers moved ‘metres in hours’

Families who set off on Saturday morning were unable to board a train until Sunday, after spending the night in their cars.

Manesh Luthra, a father-of-three, told the BBC that his family had left their Essex home at 4am on Saturday and made it to the Folkestone terminal in two hours, but rather than boarding their 7.50am shuttle they were stuck in Traffic for 21 hours.

“We joined the back of the queue for what was the worst 21 hours experienced,” he said. “We moved metres in hours.”

He said that there was no information or supplies and other drivers were cutting the queue, adding: “It was savage, I was worried there would be an accident.”

Eurotunnel said it was running a normal service, with processing time from check-in to boarding estimated to be about 90 minutes.

John Keefe, the director of public affairs, said: “We cannot do anything more than what we are doing. We do not manage the roads and we do not manage the motorways.”

There has been a war of words over who is to blame for the backlogs at Dover, which have in turn led to the traffic backlog into Kent and the Channel Tunnel.

Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary and Tory leadership hopeful, said disruption at the port was the fault of French authorities when asked if Brexit was the reason for the transport chaos.

Dover Port authorities insisted on Sunday work undertaken by them and their partners, “including strong support from French border colleagues”, to clear traffic this weekend demonstrates that the Port of Dover’s “summer plan will work for the rest of the holiday period”.

Some 72,000 passengers - more than 200 miles of tourist and freight traffic combined - had been processed across the weekend up until Sunday morning.

A Government spokesperson said: “A shortage of French border control staff, along with a serious accident on the M20 and exceptionally high numbers of people travelling this weekend, led to roads in Kent becoming extremely busy.

“We have worked closely with French authorities who deployed more staff to the border which has significantly reduced congestion, especially around Dover, though congestion remains challenging around Folkestone. We will continue to work with the relevant authorities and operators to minimise disruption and provide on the ground support.

“While congestion in Kent is beginning to ease, we recommend that passengers check the latest advice from their operators before travelling and ensure they have enough water and food provisions with them.“

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