Summer’s here, schools out, and holidaymakers are preparing for their summer break. However those heading to Dover for the Channel crossing to France faced agony as they were gridlocked for hours. In the spate of recent terrorist activity, French authorities were carrying out extra security checks, causing major tailbacks on the M20/A20 and A2.
It’s estimated some 250,000 drivers were stuck approaching the Kent port from anything between 12-20 hours as weekend temperatures peaked at 35C. The chaos unravelled on Friday night when only one French border officer was present to check passports of passenger’s on coaches which took 40 minutes to clear one vehicle. French passport control booths were also understaffed on Friday night, with just three of the seven open. Following complaints, six booths- four for cars, one for coaches and one for lorries were made available overnight on Saturday into Sunday. As queues were cut to two hours on Sunday afternoon, some drivers questioned if the delays was a way of France punishing Britain in the wake of the Brexit vote. Many wondered if the weekend mayhem was a taster of what Britain could face in terms of free movement once it is out of the EU. On Monday morning waiting times fell to ‘only’ 30 minutes as Kent police warned the problems were far from over and told drivers to expect delays for the next few weeks.
In the wake of the chaos it emerged that Slough based Khalsa Aid, who usually provide humanitarian aid to disaster and war zones joined in efforts to assist the stranded around Dover. From it’s base, the NGO dispatched a van and pickup truck carrying close to 6000 bottles of water, biscuits and some 500 cereal bars. The charity's founder, Ravinder Singh “We met a lot of young families with children, mostly people going on holidays, some heading back home to France. There was just total frustration. People didn't know what was going on. They could see the queues in front. I asked people what time their ferry was and they said they had already missed it. People were very, very frustrated and pulling their hair out.”
