Eurocamp warns delays at Dover could last all summer
James ChappleThe recent delays seen at Dover could last all summer if the UK and France’s key travel authorities don’t stop "playing the blame game" and instead "take ownership" of the issues blighting the summer getaway.
Tuesday’s stark warning (26 July) came from Eurocamp chief sales and marketing officer Ross Matthews after thousands of travellers faced delays of upwards of six hours at the UK border at the weekend (23-24 July).
The hold-ups at Dover and Folkestone coincided with the start of the school holidays, and resulted in the Port of Dover declaring a critical incident with tens of miles of queues on local roads.
The chaotic scenes has for the first time thrust into sharp focus the UK’s new relationship with the European Union, reigniting debate over the effect of leaving the bloc and who should shoulder responsibility for the delays with authorities in the UK and France blaming each other.
Matthews, though, said with passport and documentation checks now taking longer than they did previous years, the delays at peak times would not improve "without key travel authorities taking ownership".
"To end the chaos, both UK and French border authorities need to work together for a solution," said Matthews. "It’s clear there is a need for more capacity from passport control lanes and booths at both Dover and Folkestone, but equally, understaffing from border control on the French side needs to be looked at."
Matthews urged both sides not to play "the blame game". "These key authorities are the only ones who can prevent these huge backlogs continuing," he continued. "Rather than arguing over the cause of delays, they need to step up and do something about it.
"This is unfair for holidaymakers who are being forced to wait in lengthy queues at the start of what should be a wonderful holiday experience."
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James Chapple
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