London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

French police blame Dover port for border delays

French police blame Dover port for border delays

French border police have accused the Port of Dover of failing to prepare properly for last weekend's holiday rush, when many travellers encountered lengthy delays.
Some coaches of school children waited for 14 hours to pass through border control and board ferries to France.

A spokesperson for the French border control said every booth was manned "continuously".

The person said the problems arose on "the British side".

"Based on the forecast for the weekend, the French Border Police had taken the necessary measures to cope with this flow," a spokesperson for the French Police Nationale communication team said.

"This was not enough to absorb the number of buses announced for one day, due to the structural organisation of the control queues at the port of Dover, on the British side," they added.

The spokesperson said the number of buses the police were informed would pass through Dover on the weekend of April 1st and 2nd were "mathematically impossible to absorb by the control posts" and they had alerted the Port of Dover management "several times during the week about the foreseeable difficulties".

"The management of the Port of Dover therefore knew in advance that the flow would be a problem," they added.

French border police had "mobilised all of its staff" to deal with the rush, the person said.

"100% of the booths were continuously armed and allowed all the light vehicle, heavy goods vehicle and bus routes to be opened throughout the weekend.

"The French staff were careful to ensure that the controls were carried out in a pragmatic and efficient manner. An additional deployment of personnel would not have improved the system, as there were no additional booths to be armed," the spokesperson said.

The chief executive of the Port of Dover, Doug Bannister, earlier told the BBC that new measures have been brought in to manage the flow, and he was confident it could cope with busy periods in future.

On Good Friday [7 April], the start of the Easter weekend, there were queues of around 90 minutes throughout the day, with no reports of long delays.

Asked whether the additional passport checks because of Brexit had contributed to delays, Mr Bannister had added: "There's no doubt that transiting through borders takes longer now, no doubt about that, since we left the EU.

"But as an example, last summer when car traffic was building, we've installed new infrastructure there, and worked with French border authorities to man that - and other than the first day of summer when resources were really light, the rest of the summer it worked really well".

French Police Nationale also criticised the "lack of equipment" at Dover compared to Calais.

It said there are 22 control posts at the Port of Calais, including 10 dedicated for bus passengers. At Dover, however, they said there are just 13, with 3 dedicated to buses.

The spokesman added: "The port of Dover also suffers from a lack of equipment, particularly in the context of Brexit (which transformed the French-British border into an external border of the European Union), with the obligation for border guards to date-stamp passports.

"This lack of equipment, especially for bus control, substantially limits the capacity to absorb traffic. On the other hand, the port of Calais on the French side has seen a clear improvement in its infrastructure over the same period."

The Port of Dover has been approached for comment regarding the criticisms.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×