Dover ferry passengers face three-hour passport control wait in France

Delays: Ferry travellers have a long wait on the other side of the Channel

20 July 2016

British ferry passengers have been warned of three-hour queues to get through French passport control queues amid tightened security following the Nice attack.

Travellers passing through Dover are being warned to allow plenty of time for their journey, while long traffic jams have built up on roads approaching the port.

The A20 was busy this morning with freight traffic, port officials said, and DFDS Seaways advised passengers due to travel from Dover to allow three hours to get through passport control.

Delays caused disgruntlement among travellers. One wrote on Twitter: "Terrible PR for the French authorities.

“I appreciate the need to protect the border but clearly all tourist not terrorists."

Another wrote: "Three hours to clear the Port of Dover?!

“Busy: yes. Extra passport checks: OK. But THREE hours?!"

France has been under a state of emergency since the terrorist attack in Paris last November left 130 people dead.

This week the country's National Assembly voted to extend it by six months.

The vote followed last week's Bastille Day lorry attack by Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who left 84 people dead when he drove through crowds on Nice's Promenade des Anglais.

A Port of Dover spokesman said: "Due to ongoing heightened French security checks, the Port of Dover is advising customers to allow plenty of time for their journey.

“Local traffic may wish to consider using alternative routes where possible to avoid queuing traffic."

Additional reporting by the Press Association.

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