Since Friday, hundreds of people travelling by coach, especially young people on a school trip at the beginning of the Easter holidays, have had to wait sometimes more than 12 hours before boarding a boat and long queues have formed near the port.

The traffic "is now contained within the port walls, ready to proceed with immigration controls," the port said early in the evening on Twitter.

"The Port of Dover continues to work with ferry operators and border agencies to allow passengers on the remaining buses to travel as quickly as possible," he added, reiterating his apology.

According to testimonies of passengers on social networks, many people still waited more than 10 hours on Sunday to be able to board the France.

In this period of massive holiday departure for many Britons, the port of Dover experienced a larger influx than anticipated on Friday while at the same time the weather conditions complicated the boarding of ferries.

The disruptions continued throughout Saturday and Sunday, angering many passengers or parents of children stranded in the port.

"My son has been sitting in a bus since 18:30 p.m. yesterday (Saturday) and they still haven't boarded!" said Chet on Twitter Sunday morning.

Rosie Paearson, traveling with her husband and two sons, had to wait 16 hours before boarding. "It was a real mess," she told the PA news agency. "Nobody told us anything during the 16 hours," she added.

A controversy has arisen over the role of Brexit in these important delays. The port and several British ferry companies have highlighted the length of controls by the French border police, who must now check the passports of all passengers.

But, speaking to Sky News on Sunday morning, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said "it's not fair to say it's a negative consequence of Brexit."

This is not the first time such traffic jams have formed at the port of Dover. Traffic had been particularly problematic at the end of July on the occasion of holiday departures for the British.

The British government had blamed the France and its insufficient staff at the border, which Paris denied. On the French side, we had pointed out the role of Brexit, and the longer controls that result from it.

© 2023 AFP