Port of Dover expects busy Easter weekend following 'horrible situation' last week

The Port of Dover has warned of possible disruption this weekend, as thousands are expected to travel for the Easter break.

It follows a 'horrible' weekend for travellers, which saw queues of several hours for car and coach traffic.

Today (Wednesday 5 April) the port announced it is implementing a series of measures to 'alleviate traffic congestion' throughout the holiday period.

The measures, it said, are a result of an urgent review called for by management with the ferry operators and French border control authorities.

To reduce coach volumes on the projected peak travel day of Good Friday, ferry operators DFDS, Irish Ferries and P&O are working with their coach customers to spread the travel across a three-day period, from Thursday 6 April to Saturday 8 April.

The Port is also installing additional temporary border control infrastructure as contingency capacity for coach processing. The infrastructure is being trialled this week in readiness for the coming weekend.

French border control authorities (Police Aux Frontières) are due to provide a full complement of officials to process outbound travellers despite lower coach volumes.

It is also urging Coach and car drivers not to arrive early for sailings, so as to avoid unnecessary bottlenecks in the Dover area.

Stakeholders are also 'acutely aware' that the last weekend was a 'horrible situation' for many travellers, the port added.

It added that its 'top priority' is to ensure a better experience for travellers.

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