Traffic: a huge traffic jam paralyzes the port of Dover

It’s a very difficult start on vacation for motorists who have been using the port of Dover (England) since Friday July 22. Huge traffic jams take place across the Channel. The cars follow one another and do not advance at all on the road. Some had to wait 6 hours on Friday July 22 and although the situation improved on Saturday July 23, motorists still had to wait 3 hours. The trucks are also at a standstill, forced to park on the highway so as not to block the passage of cars.

The cause of these traffic jams is not yet known, yet the British authorities attribute this disorder to a lack of manpower on the French side. “We had been preparing for this day for several months, we have reinforced our system. We have new infrastructures, we were ready in due time and we were abandoned by the French police at the borders”, says Doug Bannister, chairman of the Port of Dover. France cites Brexit and the obligation to carry out systematic passport checks as the cause of the disorder. However, the prefect admitted that French policemen had arrived late.