Traffic on major routes has been brought to a standstill again due to delays in Channel crossings. A 23-mile coastbound stretch of the M20 in Kent was closed from junction eight to 11 to store thousands of lorries heading for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel as part of Operation Brock.
It has led to chaos on surrounding roads. The A20 Roundhill Tunnel is closed under the Dover TAP scheme to prevent HGVs jumping the queue.
Delays to Channel crossings are being driven by the suspension of P&O Ferries sailings after the operator sacked nearly 800 seafarers without notice last month. It is putting more strain on other ferry operators amid increased demand as many families travel overseas for Easter holidays.
DFDS said P&O Ferries customers will be unable to transfer their bookings onto its Dover-Calais sailings between Friday and Sunday because of a lack of capacity.
The Port of Dover urged passengers to “allow plenty of time for their journey”. It said in a statement: “Last weekend, port staff together with ferry operators and Kent partners worked tirelessly to move traffic as effectively as possible.
“We served 30,000 departing passengers, triple that of the corresponding weekend in 2021. Tourist vehicles moved continuously through the port, with no queuing outside the port.
“Unfortunately, the commencement of the busy Easter getaway period coincided with the ongoing impact of reduced ferry services and bad weather that affected remaining operators earlier in the week, causing one vessel to be taken out of service for a couple of days. This caused some delays, notably for freight.
“The remaining ferry operators are now back to their full complement of ships and the Port of Dover will be working with our operators and Kent partners, including the local resilience forum, National Highways and Kent Police to ensure passenger journeys are as smooth as possible.”
P&O Ferries announced on Wednesday that it is preparing to resume cross-Channel sailings. A spokesman said: “P&O is looking forward to welcoming back vital services and we expect to have two of our vessels ready to sail on the Dover-Calais route by next week, subject to regulatory sign-off, namely both the Pride of Kent and Spirit of Britain between Dover-Calais."
What is Operation Brock?
Operation Brock involves using a moveable barrier to create a contraflow system enabling lorries to queue and other traffic to keep moving in both directions. However, the system has been overwhelmed, with Kent hit by long queues every day since Friday.
