The Port of Dover has agreed an emergency plan to “smooth” coach travel over the Easter bank holiday after a “horrible” situation with lengthy queues last weekend.
Bosses at the port held an “urgent review” with the ferry operators and French border control authorities in a bid to prevent more chaos, after some coaches were stuck for 17 hours or more.
Good Friday (April 7) is projected to be the peak travel day so ferry operators DFDS, Irish Ferries and P&O Ferries are working with coach customers to spread departures across a three-day period, from Thursday to Saturday, said the port.
Additional temporary border control infrastructure is being installed as contingency capacity for coach processing.
This is understood to involve checking holidaymakers’ passports within a temporary marquee, according to reports.
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Furthermore, French border control authorities are providing a full complement of officials to process outbound travellers despite lower coach volumes.
Coach and car drivers are being advised not to arrive early for sailings, to avoid unnecessary bottlenecks in the Dover area, added the port.
In a statement, it said: “All Port of Dover stakeholders are 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.
“These additional measures are intended to significantly improve traffic throughput and give travellers a better start to their holidays.”
The port said the forthcoming weekend is expected to be busy for cars, although coach traffic is expected to be one third lower than the weekend of April 1.
Earlier on Wednesday (April 5), coach trade body the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) called for more border staff, increased coach lanes and greater use of new technology to tackle the congestion at Dover.
The CPT called for “adequate resourcing and proper preparation” ahead of the weekend and other forthcoming busy periods.
Which? consumer law expert Lisa Webb said: “Thousands of holidaymakers will understandably be anxious that limits to the number of coaches permitted to cross at the Port of Dover could spell disaster for their Easter getaway plans.
“Affected coach companies running scheduled services need to keep customers informed of any potential changes to their bookings.
“If a journey of over 250km is unable to go ahead or is delayed for over two hours, travellers must be offered the choice between a full refund or alternative transport. If that choice isn’t offered, then customers could be entitled to additional compensation of 50% of the ticket price.
“For shorter journeys, check the coach operator’s terms and conditions, but remember that if you pay for a service that isn’t provided, you’re probably entitled to a refund.
“If you booked your trip as part of a package holiday, and that holiday is significantly altered as a result of the delays at Dover, for example your trip is curtailed but not cancelled, make a claim to your holiday provider for a partial refund. You may even be able to make a claim for loss of enjoyment.
“If you have any issues, contact your coach or package provider in the first instance so that they have a chance to put things right.”