Dover urges ferry passengers to prepare for half-term delays

The Port of Dover is urging ferry passengers to come prepared for delays, as the May half-term getaway begins.

It is the first holiday period since the Entry-Exit System (EES) border system was fully implemented.

At Dover, where people go through the French border before they board their cross-Channel ferry, French authorities have not yet switched on the machines which will take fingerprints and photos under EES.

However, border officials still must do part of the process for each traveller. Setting up a profile linked to the new system means it will take a little longer to get through.

About 18,000 cars are expected at Dover between Friday and Sunday, with Saturday the busiest day, and 400 coaches are expected on Friday (May 22) alone.

The Lydden hill car racing track will be available as a contingency measure to hold cars if queues get really bad, to avoid local roads getting clogged up, reported the BBC.

Border authorities are allowed to suspend EES altogether if severe delays build up.

The port says if passengers miss their intended sailing because of delays, they can get the next available departure.

It urges travellers to use only the main routes to avoid causing traffic delays and asks they arrive no more than two hours before their allotted sailing.

Passengers are asked to have sufficient food and entertainment and the port recommends “taking suitable rest breaks” before arriving at the ferry terminal.

The border system is similar at the Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel’s Folkestone terminal, with officials creating profiles for tourists, but fingerprints and photos are not yet being taken. It is not warning passengers of delays, said the BBC.