Dover ferry port passengers hit by traffic chaos

[urpert]

The Eurostar terminals at St Pancras, Ebbsfleet and Ashford also have French border control agents, but they seem to be running OK?

They're normally super fast in my experience, as they don't scan every passport like the UK Border Force does nor extensively question non-EU nationals. Perhaps they've started doing this in the wake of recent events? Although from what I've heard this isn't the case.

They were certainly scanning every passport (and searching a large proportion of vehicles) at Calais on Friday night.

 

[SHD]

It's perfectly reasonable to expect problems after the state of emergency was introduced in France, the question is, of course, are the other countries bordering France being treated in the same manner or is it a handy way for Hollande to show his displeasure at the referendum result?

All countries sharing a land border with mainland France belong to the Schengen area (except Andorra and Monaco but these two are de facto Schengen area members). So there is no comparison to be made. However, there have indeed been increased ID checks (Schengen rules do not forbid them) such as road checks on the two motorway crossings between France and Belgium, as well as border police checks in the Thalys and Lyria rail services.

As to Daily Mail-grade rants about those sneaky Frogs who would conspire to "bugger the British" up to Presidency levels... Well, I can only say two things: (a) there are quite a few chips on your shoulders and (b) never attribute to malice what you can explain by incompetence.

 

[ExRes]

All countries sharing a land border with mainland France belong to the Schengen area (except Andorra and Monaco but these two are de facto Schengen area members). So there is no comparison to be made. However, there have indeed been increased ID checks (Schengen rules do not forbid them) such as road checks on the two motorway crossings between France and Belgium, as well as border police checks in the Thalys and Lyria rail services.

As to Daily Mail-grade rants about those sneaky Frogs who would conspire to "bugger the British" up to Presidency levels... Well, I can only say two things: (a) there are quite a few chips on your shoulders and (b) never attribute to malice what you can explain by incompetence.

As France has declared a state of emergency I would have thought that the much revered Schengen is totally useless, unless any incoming terrorist is put off by it of course

I'm not sure exactly who your second paragraph is aimed at, if it is me personally then you are yet another moron who thinks anyone who might disagree with your outlook reads the Daily Mail, I will repeat for you what I have written before, I DO NOT READ THE DAILY MAIL, there, does that make things easier or more difficult for you with your juvenile comments? Your comments marked (a) and (b) are equally pointless and stupid and, as such, should be kept to yourself

 

[SHD]

Well, your language is now Daily Express-grade...

Newspapers comparisons aside, and back to the idea you suggested earlier by mentioning "Hollande", I will ask you the following: do you seriously think that the French president could have shown his displeasure and ordered whatever police division is responsible for the manning of booths at Dover to decrease staffing levels, in order to deliberately slow down operations and thus throw a stone in Teresa May's garden? Really? State leaders behaving like schoolchildren?

 

[Cletus]

Anyway...

Possible traffic problems this weekend too.

http://www.dover-express.co.uk/a20-...busy-weekend/story-29548842-detail/story.html

Ferry company DFDS warn of "another busy weekend" with traffic levels in Dover similar to the nose-to-nose chaos of the last few days.

Passengers are told to keep an eye on the latest traffic information and allow plenty of time to travel to the Port of Dover.

DFDS along with the Port of Dover and other authorities are demanding French authorities "fully man" the border controls throughout the holiday period.

The gridlock began on Friday evening when French border officials in Dover began carrying out more stringent checks than usual following the terror attack in Nice.

The Port of Dover claimed the French border control booths were "undermanned". British border officers were drafted in over the weekend to assist.

Kent Police warn the traffic chaos could continue "for weeks" now schools have closed for the summer and a larger number of holidaymakers head to Europe

 

[furnessvale]

Well, your language is now Daily Express-grade...

Newspapers comparisons aside, and back to the idea you suggested earlier by mentioning "Hollande", I will ask you the following: do you seriously think that the French president could have shown his displeasure and ordered whatever police division is responsible for the manning of booths at Dover to decrease staffing levels, in order to deliberately slow down operations and thus throw a stone in Teresa May's garden? Really? State leaders behaving like schoolchildren?

Given the various threats being thrown about by State leaders before the referendum I think your question answers itself.

 

[TheKnightWho]

As France has declared a state of emergency I would have thought that the much revered Schengen is totally useless, unless any incoming terrorist is put off by it of course

I'm not sure exactly who your second paragraph is aimed at, if it is me personally then you are yet another moron who thinks anyone who might disagree with your outlook reads the Daily Mail, I will repeat for you what I have written before, I DO NOT READ THE DAILY MAIL, there, does that make things easier or more difficult for you with your juvenile comments? Your comments marked (a) and (b) are equally pointless and stupid and, as such, should be kept to yourself

Do you read the Daily Express? You're using rhetoric I'd expect to see in the 1940s, not now.

 

[ExRes]

Well, your language is now Daily Express-grade...

Newspapers comparisons aside, and back to the idea you suggested earlier by mentioning "Hollande", I will ask you the following: do you seriously think that the French president could have shown his displeasure and ordered whatever police division is responsible for the manning of booths at Dover to decrease staffing levels, in order to deliberately slow down operations and thus throw a stone in Teresa May's garden? Really? State leaders behaving like schoolchildren?

I don't read the Daily Express either thank you, not since its pro Argentinian bias during the Falklands War

Hollande will do anything possible to get his displeasure over, he is dead scared of his own country going down the same path as we have, as for state leaders behaving like schoolchildren, I give you one David Cameron
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Do you read the Daily Express? You're using rhetoric I'd expect to see in the 1940s, not now.

No, and once again you show your childishness with these pathetic Daily Express or Daily Mail comments, you even have one mate on here who refers to the Daily Heil I believe, totally juvenile

 

[NSEFAN]

Hollande will do anything possible to get his displeasure over, he is dead scared of his own country going down the same path as we have

Do you think the queues at Dover are the French punishing us for Brexit? Having used the Chunnel many times, I propose a simpler explanation: a lack of staff to do thorough checks. Normally there is no issue, as the French border security just wave people through with minimal checking. Now they are having to do a thorough inspection, a queue is created.

 

[Howardh]

Notice that Air France/KLM state that bookings from UK to France are somewhat down this year, and they blame it on terrorism worries.

That might be the case for some, but surely many others are fed up with strikes, blockades, go-slows etc and avoid France like the Zica?