© AFP
Britons who wanted to return to the United Kingdom this weekend waited for hours at the port of Calais. The reason is that border controls took longer after Brexit.
evdgSource: Belga
Huge wait times – up to six hours – date from Saturday to Sunday, comments on social media. Ferry companies warn of further delays on Sunday. “We apologize for the waiting times at Calais (…) this was due to queues at border controls,” P&O Ferries, which operates a ferry service between Calais and Dover, tweeted.
According to the company, two additional departures were scheduled overnight to bring passengers who missed their ferry back to the United Kingdom. The wait time on a Sunday afternoon was between 45 and 60 minutes.
Tensions
Danish rival DFDS says it expects a busy weekend. Passengers are advised to be at the ferry port at least two hours in advance. The French province pointed to an “unforeseen technical problem” in the tunnel under the canal this weekend, but operator Eurotunnel denied that.
There was a long traffic jam in Calais last weekend. The French blamed British customs officials for opening too few checkpoints to absorb all the traffic.
In July, there was a monstrous traffic jam on the other side of the Channel at Dover. This caused tension between France and England. The latter accused the French of “ruining” British families’ holidays due to a lack of staff.
