LONDON — The Port of Dover has announced it will cap the number of coaches crossing the English Channel on ferries on Friday, to avoid another weekend of chaos at the border.
Coaches full of children setting off on school trips to the EU had to wait for hours throughout last weekend, in some cases only to turn back or stay in hotels near Dover.
Following an urgent probe, the Port of Dover has struck a deal with ferry operators to spread coach bookings from tomorrow to Saturday, in a bid to avoid similar delays over the Easter holiday weekend. Ferry operators including DFDS, Irish Ferries and P&O will spread coach bookings across a three-day period from Thursday to Saturday, the port said.
There will also be additional French border officers and temporary border booths to speed up passport checks of coach passengers, after officials complained each bus was taking up to an hour to process.
In a statement, the port said it was “acutely aware that last weekend was a horrible situation for many travellers, including the elderly and schoolchildren.”
“It is the top priority of all parties to ensure a better experience for travellers this weekend,” it added.
