Dover border delays expected this weekend

Dover braces for EU border delays as summer travel peaks

7 reported

The port of Dover is preparing for long tailbacks this weekend as the busiest summer period begins, with new EU border controls expected to cause delays. The semi-functioning entry-exit system (EES) is credited, along with heatwaves and fears about flights after the war in Iran, with pushing British domestic holidays to their highest levels since Covid halted international travel. French border police at Dover will manually register non-EU travellers for EES because a new £40m automated facility cannot operate due to software problems in France. About 7,500 cars are expected at Dover on Friday and 10,000 on Saturday. Eurotunnel, operator of LeShuttle, said it did not anticipate delays, though its automated kiosks also cannot yet be used. The RAC and Inrix expect the worst traffic on Friday in areas of the M25 around Greater London, with more than 14 million drivers making a getaway this weekend. Ryanair warned that UK passengers could be “the testing ground for unfinished border infrastructure” and identified several popular holiday airports as recurring hotspots for EES-related delays.

What’s reported

The port of Dover is bracing for long tailbacks as thousands of holidaymakers join lorries at Britain’s main Channel ferry crossing from 6am.

French border police at Dover will manually register non-EU travellers for EES because a new £40m automated facility cannot operate due to software problems in France.

About 7,500 cars are expected at Dover on Friday and 10,000 on Saturday.

Eurotunnel said it did not anticipate delays, but its automated kiosks also cannot yet be used.

The RAC and Inrix expect the worst traffic on Friday in areas of the M25 around Greater London linking to the M3 to the southwest.

More than 14 million drivers are expected to make a getaway this weekend.

Ryanair warned UK passengers could be “the testing ground for unfinished border infrastructure” and identified Lisbon, Tenerife South, Alicante, Malaga and Milan Bergamo as recurring hotspots for EES-related delays.