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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Travel
Simon Calder

P&O Ferries passengers told that DFDS can’t take them from Dover to France at the weekend

Simon Calder

Ahead of one of the busiest weekends of the year, DFDS Ferries has warned thousands of passengers booked with P&O Ferries that it will have no space for them on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

P&O Ferries suspended its Dover-Calais sailings on 17 March, after telling nearly 800 crew they had been made redundant immediately. P&O has been telling passengers they can be carried on the services of DFDS – which sails from the Kent port to Calais and Dunkirk in northern France.

But DFDS has tweeted: “DFDS has no availability for P&O customers between 08 April 00.01 and 10 April 23.59.

“Please do not proceed to port without a confirmed reservation, contact P&O Ferries for alternative travel arrangements.”

Three large P&O Ferries vessels are tied up at Dover’s cruise terminal, when normally they would be running a busy shuttle service to Calais and back.

Under passenger rights’ rules, ferry travellers whose sailings are cancelled are entitled to a new journey.

The Department for Transport says: “If your ship is cancelled, or if it is more than 90 minutes late to leave, you can choose between:

  • a new ticket to the place you were going. This will leave as soon as possible. It will be a similar type of travel and will not cost extra.
  • or to get your money back for your ticket. If you were on your way back you will also be taken back to where you started.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, 5 April, P&O Ferries is continuing to advise travellers to travel on DFDS. It has previously said: “Please arrive as booked, we will get you away on an alternative carrier asap.”

Last weekend – the start of the Easter getaway for many British families – roads in east Kent were gridlocked as traffic queued to access the port of Dover. The coming weekend is expected to be even busier.

There is no indication of when P&O Ferries might start up again on the short Channel crossing.

The company tweeted: “All P&O Ferries Passenger Services are suspended this weekend.

“For travel 8/9/10 April please re-book directly with another operator before arriving at the port. DFDS will not be able to transfer P&O customers onto their services.”

Meanwhile traffic in Kent is becoming more congested as the number of trucks seeking to cross the Channel increases.

Overnight National Highways tweeted: “Call out to all HGV drivers - as congestion continues tonight on the M20 please be prepared for delays and be sure to use truck stop facilities ahead of joining the queues for Dover .”

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