The port was expecting to welcome 10,000 cars embarking on 65 crossings from Dover to France on Saturday, with thousands of cars and freight lorries winding their way along the A2 and along the Jubilee Pass over the White Cliffs of Dover from the early hours of the morning , rather than along the A20 and the city’s promenade.
The port processed 8,500 cars on Friday, amid chaotic scenes that saw families stuck in traffic for up to five hours waiting to board their crossings.
P&O Ferries has advised passengers that they should allow at least five hours to pass all necessary checks to cross to the mainland.
“There’s no going back now”
The delays meant many families missed their crossing and had to board later ferries, despite leaving early.
Tom and Maxine Goodman left Studley, Warwickshire, at 4am on Saturday to catch their 7.50am ferry from Dover to Calais.
“We missed this one,” Goodman said at 10 a.m. as the couple sat in traffic with their three young children in the back seat of the car.
The Goodmans, who are heading to the Loire Valley for their first family holiday since before the pandemic, said they left on a “left an hour early”.
“Three miles we stood in line,” said Mrs. Goodman. “The problem is that they let a lot of trucks and cars through, but on the flyover they only let five or six at a time and then they slow us down again.”
He added: “The most frustrating thing is that on the motorway they are telling travelers to come the way we came and yet we have been held up more than the line coming, if you like, the wrong way.
“I don’t imagine we’ll be getting in before 5 p.m., so it’s going to be a 13-hour trip,” Goodman said, as opposed to the eight-hour trip they had planned.
“We’ve promised these three that they’ll be in the pool tomorrow, so yeah, definitely, there’s no going back now,” Ms Goodman said.
Commuters heading to the Folkestone Eurotunnel are also reporting delays, with traffic on the approaching routes, although most cars were boarding within the 90 minutes recommended by Le Shuttle operators to allow for billing and passport control.