Passengers hoping to sail from Dover this weekend are finding themselves caught up in road chaos, and facing huge delays getting to the port.
Weather problems and ferry shortages - partly caused by issues at troubled ferry firm P&O - have caused massive tailbacks which have led to roads around the port being gridlocked, and to miles of jams on motorways in Kent.
A traffic management system known as Operation Brock - which was created to manage traffic disruption caused by post-Brexit paperwork issues - has been put in place to try to deal with the problem. The system sees lorries heading to Dover being allowed to use one side of the M20 motorway while all other traffic is restricted to a contraflow system on the opposite side.
Those who have attempted to reach Dover today found themselves stuck in the overwhelmed traffic system, a situation worsened by increased demand for sailings ahead of the Easter holiday. You can keep up to date with the latest travel and traffic news here. A UK Department for Transport spokesman said that they are aware of queues at Dover, and that the Kent Resilience Forum "are working to minimise any disruption by deploying temporary traffic-management measures as standard".
Ferry firm P&O Ferries sparked outrage when it sacked 800 sailors without notice and replaced them with cheap agency staff, with the chief executive of company being accused of "corporate terrorism".
Dover's Tory MP Natalie Elphicke blamed the delays in part on P&O Ferries, which she said is still not operating following "failed safety checks" on its new crews. Ms Elphicke warned the disruption is expected to last for the next few days. She said: "The traffic disruption caused by P&O's actions is very serious. Coupled with adverse weather conditions and the Easter get-away traffic the situation has become severe. This can be expected to continue for the next few days."
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