A teacher from Manchester arrived back in the UK from France just minutes before quarantine rules were enforced.
From 4am on Saturday (August 15) travellers making their way back from France, as well as the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos and Aruba, will have to self-isolate for 14 days.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the news that France was to be added to the quarantine list late on Thursday night due to rising coronavirus cases.
Matt, who did not share his second name, is among many Brits who rushed to get back prior to the deadline.
He took his car on a Channel Tunnel train which was due to arrive back in the UK at 3.55am following a family camping trip in the Dordogne.
Matt and his family had planned to come home on Monday (August 17) but changed their tickets for an extra £115.
The family drove for 10 hours to Calais to catch the train and spent another £66 to stay at a hotel in the early hours before driving on to Manchester.
"We literally got on the last available train… we'd been keeping up-to-date with the chaos at Calais so we were fearing the worst,” the 40-year-old told the PA news agency.
"Luckily, once we got to Calais we sailed through and actually got back at just gone 3am."
Matt said he wanted to avoid being in quarantine on his daughter's eighth birthday next Friday, as well as the impact it would have had on a trip to see family in Scotland next weekend.
Asked about the Government’s timing over imposing the deadline, Matt said: "How much swearing are you allowed to include if I give you my honest views on the Government?
"They're a complete shambles, beyond incompetent… they need to be clearer and give more warning.
"Is there a tipping point figure (of coronavirus cases), or do they just apply it as and when they feel like it?"
Many have criticised the last-minute decision which was similarly placed on Spain just a few weeks ago.
However, Boris Johnson said prior to Thursday's announcement that the government would be 'absolutely ruthless' in deciding on whether to impose the self-isolation requirement.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is now advising against all but essential travel to France (including Corsica).
