15-hour Dover waits hit travellers

A ferry company has urged UK and French authorities to ensure there is no repeat of the huge delays at Dover.

Some people were forced to wait for 15 hours on gridlocked roads to reach the Kent port over the weekend.

Helen Deeble, chief executive of P&O Ferries, said holidaymakers were delayed for “unacceptable lengths of time” and insisted the situation “must never be allowed to happen again”.

She said: “Increased security checks are completely understandable but the French authorities must provide adequate numbers of staff to ensure that these checks can be processed quickly and efficiently.”

Ms Deeble insisted that P&O Ferries did “everything we could to keep passengers moving” by providing extra sailings and more staff.

“We would nevertheless like to apologise to the passengers whose holidays were affected and assure them that we will be talking to the British and French authorities this week to ensure that there is no repetition of this disruption,” she added.

Holidaymakers faced hours on gridlocked roads near Dover this weekend as some spent the night in their cars as they tried in vain to get to the port.

At one stage there were 12-mile tailbacks om roads approaching Dover.